


Regina and the Dark Wolf

by dkpiper



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Character of Color, Lesbian Sex, Mystery Stories, Souls, other planets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-22
Updated: 2015-12-02
Packaged: 2018-04-27 14:22:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5051851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dkpiper/pseuds/dkpiper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regina Mills may have lost Robin, but she gains much more soon after he leaves, and begins to learn the truth about who she really is.</p><p>*Note:  Feel free to imagine yourself as Madison. :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Finding Each Other

 

Saddened by the loss of Robin Hood, Regina sat quietly on a counter stool at Granny’s, sipping on a hot cup of coffee with cream. Although, it wasn’t the lowest that she had ever felt, losing Robin to a formerly dead wife after finally falling in-love again, was still an unexpected kick in the face. Nevertheless, she knew that letting him go was the right thing to do. 

As Regina took another sip of her coffee, Emma walked in through the front door. Once Emma saw Regina sitting alone, she took in a deep breath, exhaled, and began to slowly walk towards her. 

“Hey Regina…” Emma said solemnly. 

Regina recovered from the dead stare at the wall in front of her, and looked over at Emma. “Oh look! The Savior has come to rescue me from my pitiable love life.“ Regina said sarcastically. Then she rolled her eyes and looked back at her half empty cup of coffee. 

“Listen.” said Emma. “I know you’re down, but I think you guys did the right thing. I mean, can you imagine what it would have been like out there for Marian to be all alone?! Storybrooke may be a closer resemblance of the world that I grew up in, but it’s not the same. There’s an abundance of terrible people out there who would have loved to take advantage of her.”

Regina still sat silently, feeling her heart ache the more Emma spoke of Robin and Marian. 

“Well, if you ever want to talk about it, or anything else, I’m here for you.“ Emma said while looking sadly at Regina.

As Emma started to look around the cafe before ordering her hot cocoa, she noticed a woman, wearing all black, and sitting at one of the booths by herself. Nothing about this woman was familiar, and since Emma was sure that she had seen everyone in Storybrooke, her interest was immediately sparked. If Emma were asked to describe this woman, she would say that she had dark brown hair, evenly-toned brown skin, and wore attire that was well-suited for biking. Her motorcycle boots were black, her pants were black, her leather jacket was black, and even her scarf was black. Seconds later, Emma turned back to Regina.

“Regina. Have you ever seen that woman before?” Emma asked.

Regina reluctantly turned to take a look, thinking that it was going to be some other person from the Enchanted Forest that she’d tortured at some point in time. But, to her surprise, she hadn’t seen her before either. 

As they both stared at this mysterious woman, the woman couldn’t help but to look over to see why she felt she was being watched. The first person that she saw, when she turned to look, was Emma. 

‘Why in the world is this woman looking at me?!’ the woman thought to herself. 

But, before she could react, Emma waved, smiled, and then said, "Hello!" So, the woman smiled and said, "Hello!” back. Then as the woman’s eyes turned to Regina, her less than genuine smile, slowly faded away.

It wasn’t as if it was sadness, fear, or anger that made her smile dissipate. It was that she had never seen someone that instantly made her heart skip a beat. Regina’s own reaction to this woman wasn’t very different. In fact, the moment their eyes met, everything around them temporarily disappeared, and after a few seconds had passed, the woman stood up from her seat, and began to walk over to Regina. Regina, still stunned by what she was experiencing, remained seated with her jaw slightly dropped. 

“Hello, my name is Madison.” said Madison while reaching out to shake Regina’s hand. “May I ask what your name is?" 

"Regina…Regina Mills." Regina responded, still looking stunned. 

"Ohh!” Madison responded. “So, you’re the former mayor of Storybrooke,” Madison said smiling. 

This statement left Regina and Emma puzzled. So, Emma started to respond inquisitively and suspiciously. “How do you not know who Regina is? I mean, she’s not only the former mayor, but she also use to be the Evil Queen of the Enchanted Forest”.

“Good question!” Madison responded. “I’ve kept to myself since I’ve been here. At first, I was a night time mail handler with the Post Office who knew nothing of who she really was. I had a television, but I never really watched the news or read the paper– I avoided the news as best as I could actually. But, of course, I have heard people speak of Regina. I just never got the face-to-the-name privilege. It wasn’t very different in the Enchanted Forest either. I was a loner, and getting the news out to others didn’t happen as easily as it does here." 

"So, you were alone out in the woods? Sounds tough. Why were you alone?" Emma said with a concerned look. 

"Well, it was part choice, and part necessity.” answered Madison. “But, in my case, living in the woods, away from society– it wasn’t so bad.”

“Yeah. But, why was it a necessity?” asked Emma, feeling that Madison was avoiding the full answer to her former question.

‘Inquisitive…’ Madison thought to herself. Then she looked over at Regina to see how she would respond to her answer to Emma’s question. "Because, I’m a werewolf– similar to Red.” Regina and Emma’s eyes widened in response.

“Is that why you’re hanging out here at Granny’s?" Emma responded. 

Madison smiled and looked back at Emma. "Red is a recent friend of mine, yes. But, she’s not the only reason why I’ve started to come here. I happen to like the atmosphere.”

”Righhht– and how, exactly, did you manage to survive out in the wild?” Emma asked. “Was it all just cattle and other wild animals?“ 

Madison quickly translated Emma’s question into her wanting to know how many humans she has killed and devoured. But, since Madison didn’t want to go into detail, especially not in front of Regina, she replied with, “You know, I never got your name." 

"My name is Emma Swan, and I’m the Sheriff." Emma answered, bringing her hand to her hip; which moved her jacket to the side to reveal her badge. 

"Well, Sheriff Swan…” said Madison with a smile on her face. “Don’t you worry. I haven’t mangled and/or killed anyone within your jurisdiction--yet. The food here is much more plentiful than it was in the Enchanted Forest, and I prefer the steaks here anyway." 

Emma smiled at Madison’s response, knowing that she was kidding, but also feeling that their meeting was just the beginning of something that she couldn’t yet describe. "All right, well-- now that I’ve met you, I’ll be sure to get to know you more”. 

“I’m sure you will.” Madison replied.

Then Emma turned to the bar, started to ask for her hot cocoa, and noticed that Granny had already made it for her to-go. Emma smiled, and said, “Thanks, Granny!”. Afterwards, she turned to Regina. "I’m gonna head out. I’ve got a few things to check up on. If you need me, call me.” Emma said to Regina. 

“Ok!” Regina replied.

“Nice to meet you, Madison!” said Emma.

“Likewise!” Madison replied.

Emma turned to leave and walked out of the door.

“So, Regina– would you like to join me at my table?” Madison asked with a soft smile on her face. 

Regina hesitated with her response, and began to think to herself, ‘I literally just loss Robin, the man who was supposedly my true love. How is it that I’m experiencing something so strong and immediate with Madison, if Robin is my true love?’ Scared that this may lead to more disappointment, Regina decided that it would be best if she were to decline the invitation. ‘Madison may be charming and beautiful, but she’s also a werewolf. Do I really want to deal with that?’ Regina continued to think to herself. 

As Regina was about to speak, Madison held up her right hand in front of her and said, “Wait! Before you answer– I know that you just met me and have quickly found out that I’m a werewolf, and even though I would love for you to come sit with me, I would completely understand if you decided not to. Me being a werewolf, and a woman, may be a lot for you to digest. So, I’m going to give you my cell number in the hopes that you will decide to hang out with me later, if not at this moment." Madison pulled out a pen from her jacket, jotted down her number on one of the napkins nearby, and then handed it to Regina. Regina took it, and looked at it as if deciding whether or not she should accept the number. 

"Listen—“ said Regina. You were honest with me and Emma, so I’m going to be honest with you. I just had to let my boyfriend go– an hour ago to be exact. He was said to be my true love. I’m not only still upset by this, but I’m not sure if there is another real chance of love for me– despite the rather interesting connection that I feel with you”. Regina was surprised by the last words that came out of her mouth. But, she stood firm by it and waited for a response. 

Surprised by Regina’s last words as well, Madison gently grabbed Regina’s hand, stepped closer, and looked Regina in the eyes, “I feel it as well, and even though I swear I’ve never felt it before, I can’t help but feel that deep down, I already know you.” Regina’s heart began to beat faster, for she had felt the exact same way. “But, considering what you’re going through right now. Madison continued. “The timing just doesn’t seem right. “ Then she looked down at the hand Regina held the napkin in, raised it to her lips, and gently kissed the outside of it. “You have my number." 

“Yes, I do.” said Regina, blushing.

"It was nice to meet you, Regina.” said Madison.

“It was nice to meet you as well.” Regina replied.

After Madison smiled and released Regina’s hand, she walked over to grab her things from her booth, and began to walk towards the exit. Regina watched Madison as she headed towards the door, and once Madison reached the door, she looked back and smiled at Regina, as if acknowledging that she knew Regina had been watching her, and walked out.

Once Madison left, Regina looked back at her cup of coffee, felt that it had gone cold, asked for the check, and began to think of her encounter with Madison. She had never even thought of being with another woman before, let alone a werewolf. But, despite all of that, Regina still believed Madison to be highly attractive. She had a beautiful smile, smooth brown skin, thick flowing brown hair, and from the feel of it, an unusual warmth that emanated from her hands; a werewolf quality she assumed.

A moment later, Regina took the check, paid the bill and headed home.

 

**************************************************

It was a little after eight when Regina awoke the next morning. She stared at the ceiling for a minute or two, before deciding to roll over, snuggle up with another one of her pillows, and look out the window. To her, it definitely looked like a day to stay in bed. The sun was out, but the clouds refused to let it shine, and considering that she wasn’t the mayor anymore, she didn’t necessarily need to get out of bed. Even Henry was over at Emma’s, so she only had to tend to herself for the day.

As she continued to look out the window, she began to think of Robin again. She wondered how well he was fairing on the other side with Marian, and if being with him was really ever meant to happen. She also contemplated whether or not she would ever get a happy ending; especially after all of the bad things that she’s done. The effects of these negative thoughts that passed through her mind, resulted in the formation of tears, and despite trying to hold them back, one tear after another started to fall. While Regina wallowed in sorrow, surrounded by grey skies, silence, and loneliness, Madison came across her mind. Soon afterwards, regardless of the fact that they just met, she really wanted Madison to be there with her. So, she took in a deep breath, closed her eyes again, and started to imagine Madison’s arm wrapped around her waist, and holding her close. After a few minutes had passed by, Regina stopped crying and fell back to sleep.

By the time Regina woke up again, it was about two in the afternoon. It still looked the same outside, but this time she had to use the bathroom. So, she forced herself out of bed, and moseyed towards the bathroom. After using the bathroom, she headed downstairs and into the kitchen to fix herself something to eat; a chimichurri sandwich with apple slices to be exact, and a glass of water. Once she finished making her lunch, she brought it into the living room and turned on the television. As she sat there eating, she began to flip through the hundreds of channels included in her cable package that she barely ever watched. She wasn’t really interested in the news, the sports channels only briefly held her attention, and she definitely wasn’t interested in watching any reality shows. So, she kept flipping to higher channels until she came across one of the movie channels showing a vampire and werewolf flick.

‘Of course!’ She thought to herself and smiled. ‘The first movie I come across would have werewolves in it.’ 

Regina finished up her sandwich, took a hot shower, and then decided to take a walk out into the neighboring woods. It may not have been the same as the Enchanted Forest, but the woods here still offered her peace and a place to think outside of society. So, she put on her coat, grabbed her cell phone, turned off the television, and walked out of the back door. Once she walked outside, she immediately felt that it was a bit colder than she anticipated. But, considering that she was going for a walk, she figured she’d warm-up soon enough. 

Regina didn’t really have a particular route in mind. She hardly ever did on desultory walks such as this one. But, she knew she would never get lost in the woods, no matter how much her mind wandered; making the woods feel even safer. After about an hour had gone by, she came across an old fallen tree. It looked sturdy enough to sit on, so she decided that it was a great place to sit down and take a break. Once she sat down, with both hands down by her sides and resting on the tree, she closed her eyes, leaned her head back, and took in a deep breath. She then opened her eyes, looked up at the sky for a few seconds, brought her head back down, and slowly placed her hands in her coat pockets. In her right pocket, she felt the napkin that Madison gave her the day before, and pulled it out. Regina unfolded it, stared at the number for a few seconds, and decided to give Madison a call. But, before calling, she noticed that her cell phone signal wasn’t the best, being in the middle of the woods and all, and figured it would be best to make the call from home. So, she went up in purple smoke and teleported herself back to her foyer. 

After taking off her coat and hanging it up in her coat closet, Regina looked at her cell phone, saw that it had perfect signal, and dialed Madison’s number. As the phone rang, Regina’s pulse started to get faster and faster from pure nervousness. Halfway through the third ring, Madison picked up. “Hello!” Madison answered.

“Hi, it’s Regina!“ Regina said nervously.

“Hey, Regina!” Madison responded excitedly, but also with a little worry that she’d say something stupid to turn Regina off. “How are you today?”

“Umm…actually I’m feeling a little better. I took a nice walk out into the woods, had a nice lunch– and I thought of you." Regina responded.

"Oh!” Madison said with a big smile on her face. “Well, that’s very nice to hear. Because, I thought of you as well." 

Regina smiled sweetly, and was relieved instantly after learning that they were both on the same page.

"Well, I’d like to take you up on that offer. Except, I was thinking of dinner and a movie, instead of Granny’s. How about this evening? I know it’s a short notice, but I feel that I might lose my nerve if we plan further out.” Regina stated.

“This evening would be great! What place are you thinking of for dinner?” Madison asked.

“I’m actually in the mood to cook dinner myself. Do you like Italian?” Regina asked.

“I sure do!” Madison replied.

“Great! Then I’ll make baked manicotti, toasted Italian bread with garlic, and a freshly tossed salad for the appetizer.” said Regina.

“Wow! That sounds delicious! What movie are you in the mood for?" Madison asked.

"There’s this zombie movie that I want to see called ‘Fallen Zombie’. I’m not usually into such films, but I’m interested in this one, and I think it’ll be fun to watch." Regina said, hoping that it wouldn’t sound too stupid for Madison.

"Ok, ‘Fallen Zombie’ it is! I’m definitely into sci/fi and horror movies, and I’ll buy the tickets for us if you don’t mind." Madison responded.

"I don’t mind at all!" Regina replied happily.

"So, what time would you like for me to come over?” Madison asked.

“Seven o'clock!” Regina answered.

“Ok! Now, I need your address." Madison stated. 

As Regina gave Madison her address, a sense of adventure came over her. ‘I can’t believe that I just asked Madison out on a date.’ she thought to herself.

"Got it!” Madison responded. “I’ll see you soon, Regina”

“Ok, see you soon." Regina replied.

Regina hung up the phone, looked at the time, and saw that it was a quarter after five. "Guess I better get started!” Regina said to herself.

After Regina placed the manicotti in the oven, readied the bread to be toasted, and set the table, she went upstairs to freshen herself up and to change into something more sexy. When she came back downstairs, she was wearing a fitted black skirt, black sheer pantyhose, high-heeled, black leather, knee high boots, and a fitted, long sleeve, royal blue, cashmere turtle neck. By that time, it was ten ‘til seven. After checking on the manicotti, she saw that the timer still had five minutes left. So, she began to work on the salad. A few seconds later, she heard the doorbell ring. She looked at the time again, and it was five 'til. With a giddy smile, she said to herself, “She’s early. Good! It’s much better than being late." She stopped what she was doing and headed towards the door. Once she reached the door, she looked through the peep hole, saw that it was Madison, checked her hair and make-up again, relaxed herself, and then opened the door.

 

******************************************************

The very sight of Madison made Regina glow, and although it was dark outside, Regina’s porch light was bright enough to see every little detail of Madison’s appearance. She was wearing not only her hair down and a big smile on her face, but a pair of black skinny jeans, black leather boots with flat rigid soles, a burgundy drop-shoulder pullover, and a gold necklace with a Celtic pendant. 

“You made it!” Regina said smiling.

“Yes, I did!” Madison replied. Then she looked down bashfully for a moment, revealed the single red rose from behind her back, and handed it to Regina. 

“Oh! It’s beautiful!” said Regina. “Thank you! Come on in!”

After Madison was inside, Regina closed the door and showed Madison to the kitchen. 

“Wow! You’ve got a magnificent home.“ Madison said while she looked around.

“Thank you!“ Regina replied.

Once they made it to the kitchen, Regina explained that she still needed to let the manicotti cool down, put the bread in the oven, and finish making the salad. 

"Would you like some help with anything?” asked Madison.

“Sure." Regina answered. "I need these two apples to be sliced into thin pieces.” Regina continued, while handing Madison the apples and the knife, and showing her the cutting board. “I’ve already cut up the strawberries, and peeled the mandarins. So, I’ll toss them in with the arugula while you’re cutting those up." 

Regina’s main intention for letting Madison cut the apples was to see just how well she handled her favorite fruit. So, she playfully smiled while Madison grabbed one of the apples, sat it up straight, cut just to the right of the core, and straight down. After doing this for all four sides, she removed the core from the cutting board and onto the counter. With each side she cut off, she placed the flat side on the surface, and began cutting it with an upward motion, making perfectly thin and even slices. Just watching this made Regina blush. 

"Wow! Nicely done!” said Regina.

“Thanks!” Madison replied.

"Now for the other one!“ Regina grinned. "So what time is the movie?”

“I picked the 9:35 show.” Madison answered. “I figured that would give us enough time for dinner.”

“Good! No rushing.” Regina said as she smiled at Madison.

************************************************

While Regina and Madison sat at the dining room table eating, Regina got the curiosity bug and began to ask Madison some questions. “So, you mentioned that you initially worked for the Post Office. What do you do now?”

“Well, I’m a professional freelancer. I proofread for online articles, copy write for advertisement agencies, and I write grant proposals." Madison answered.

"Hmm… sounds nice." Regina responded while bringing her glass up for another sip of wine. "I umm– I know you said yesterday that this is the first time that you’ve felt the kind of connection that we have, but was there ever someone else, even for a short time?”

“There was.” Madison answered. “Just one though. We use to work together. She was a very nice woman and we had a good time. But, since I knew I’d never fall in love with her, I decided to end it. She took it well enough.”

“Do you have any family?” Regina asked.

Madison sat silently for a few seconds, and Regina instantly felt as though she’d struck an inharmonious chord.

“I’m sorry…” Regina started. But, Madison interrupted.

“No– it’s just a sensitive subject for me.” said Madison. “I wasn’t always alone in the Enchanted Forest. I was in a pack– a wolf pack. But, a disagreement came between us. Well, between my parents and the Alpha wolf to be exact. My parents wanted to continue to only go after wildlife and cattle for food, but the Alpha, and a select few others, wanted to attack humans as well. My father tried to beat the Alpha in a duel, but he lost. My mother was killed soon after because she strongly agreed with my father. As for myself, I was given a choice to be banished or to fall in-line with the others. Since, I was only seven years-old and too young to fight back, I took my chances in the woods. I’m sure the Alpha was convinced that I wouldn’t survive on my own, which is why I think he let me go in the first place." 

"Wow!" Talk about a brutal way to lose one’s parents.” Regina said sadly. “I’m so sorry that you had to go through that.”

“Yeah, it was rough. But, despite what my parents fought for, I ended up killing a couple of people anyway. They were malicious though." Madison cleared her throat. "They were under your command. But, I didn’t know that at the time. They were bullying young children and their parents. I just wanted to help. Plus– I was hungry.” said Madison.

Regina raised her eyebrows while she looked at Madison in disbelief, then she looked back down at her glass of wine, finished it off and said, “So, that’s what happened to my missing soldiers. Madison, twice now, you have completely surprised me with your background. But, my background is wretched compared to yours. You killing a couple of soldiers– was something that they probably had coming to them anyway. But, regardless of my past, I just want to become a better person, and do good. Well, at least try to– especially, for Henry.”

“Aw, yes… Henry!” Madison exclaimed. “I’ve heard nothing but good things about him. Where is he now?”

“He’s with Emma.” Regina answered. “We basically have joint custody of him now. But, since Emma and I are on good terms, I don’t mind it as much anymore." 

"Well, I’d love to meet him one day. He seems like he’d be open to his mom dating a werewolf.” said Madison. Then they both smiled and laughed.

“Oh, look at the time! It’s five after nine. We should head out.” Regina insisted.

“Ok, I’ll drive!” responded Madison.

*****************************************

The movie was packed for the premiere of ‘Fallen Zombie’. So, a good portion of the town saw Madison and Regina as they walked in together. Hardly anyone knew who Madison was, but since they saw her with Regina, they decided not to look too hard. Once they were seated, Regina lifted up the arm rest between them, and scooted closer to Madison. Madison smiled and placed her left arm over Regina’s shoulders, and gently kissed her on the side of her head.

Once the movie was over, and most of the people were cleared out, Regina and Madison made their way out of the theater as well. By this time, they were holding hands. Of course, a few people couldn’t help themselves but to look and judge. But, Madison didn’t care and neither did Regina. While they were walking back to Madison’s car, Dr. Whale, in a drunken stupor from the bar down the block, came up to them. 

“So, ‘Queen’ Regina!” said Dr. Whale, loudly while making quotation fingers in the air. "I see you’ve got yourself another flame. Can we say, ‘Reeeeebound’?!” He continued before laughing hysterically. 

At this, Madison’s eyes quickly turned into a golden glow, before stepping in front of Regina, taking Dr. Whale by the neck, nearly crushing it, and lifting him up in the air.

“How dare you judge us with all of the women I’ve heard you’ve been with and thrown away?!” Madison said furiously. “You’re a low life, and even though we’re not in the Enchanted Forest, Regina is still the Queen.”

“Ok, ok…” Dr. Whale said, as he gasped for air. “I’m sorry.”

Madison looked at him for a few more seconds like a piece of rotten meat, then lowered him back to the ground. Every part of her wanted to break his neck and toss him aside. But, to avoid a prison sentence for murder, she had to let go of her own will. Once Dr. Whale was freed, he looked at Madison fearfully, and was about to look at Regina until Madison interrupted by saying, “Don’t”, with an expression so full of barely contained anger, that it made Dr. Whale shutter. So, he turned around cautiously and began to walk away. 

Regina knew she could’ve stood up for herself. But, to have someone else, with supernatural abilities as well, stand up for her… felt amazing. As Madison watched Dr. Whale skitter away, Regina gently touched Madison’s back, stepped closer, and wrapped her arms around Madison’s waist. “Thank you!" Regina said softly. 

"No problem." Madison replied, with her eyes still glowing. 

The longer Regina held on to Madison, the more Madison calmed down. After a few seconds more, Madison’s eyes went back to normal. Then, she turned around to face Regina. "Are you ok? Madison asked.

"Yes, I’m fine." Regina said smiling. 

"Well, I’m glad to see that you’re smiling after all of that.” Madison said with a weak smile.“ But, we’ve got some serious gawkers after what just happened. So, I say we hit the road." 

Regina looked around.

"Yeah, good idea." Regina agreed.

 

*******************************************

After Madison pulled into Regina’s driveway, she turned off the car, hopped out, and quickly walked over to the passenger side to open the door for Regina. 

“Thank you!” said Regina.

“It’s my pleasure!” responded Madison as she reached for Regina’s hand to help her stand up and out of the car. Once Regina was cleared from the opening, Madison shut the door, took Regina’s hand again, and started to walk towards the front door. 

“I’ve been having a great time with you tonight.” said Regina. 

“Me too!” said Madison. “Despite the negativity from others.“ 

“Yeah, well I’m used to those kinds of reactions from people.“ Regina replied. "It came with the territory of being the Evil Queen.”

Madison smiled a little more after Regina’s comment, while Regina looked at her and thought of asking a question; a question that she thought may be too early to ask, but one that she was going to ask anyway.

“Umm—“ started Regina. “I was imagining, on our way back here, how you would look in your wolf form. After seeing your strength tonight, it made me even more curious of that part of yourself. Would you be willing to– you know– transform for me?”

Madison wasn’t very surprised by this request. Especially, after what happened earlier that night. So, she figured that if Regina was ready for that part of her, then why not show her now?! 

“Regina– if you’re absolutely sure you want to see me that way, then I’ll do it. But, please– please don’t freak out!" Madison replied.

"I’m sure I won’t.” said Regina. Then she unlocked the door, and they both walked into the house.

“All right.” said Madison. “I just need an open area where I won’t break anything as I change.”

“Well, then right here, in the foyer, is the best spot. It has the least amount of expensive things in it.” Regina smiled. “Plus, it’s the most open area in the house.“

"Ok!” Madison responded as she stepped back from Regina and began to take off her clothes. 

“Whoa! I didn’t think I’d be getting a strip show in the process!” Regina grinned.

“Considering that I don’t want to ruin my clothes, I have to take them off before I change.” Madison said with a bashful smile.

A few seconds later, Madison was fully undressed. From what Regina could tell, Madison’s body was a perfection of the female anatomy. Her legs and arms were muscularly defined, along with her slightly ripped abs, and beautifully toned skin. For a few seconds, Regina just stared in amazement; completely forgetting what she was about to witness. 

“Ready?” Madison asked. 

“Umm, yeah! Go right ahead!” Regina replied, snapping out of her lustful gaze.

The first thing that Regina saw was Madison’s gold glowing eyes. Seconds later, Madison dropped to all fours, while her skin became tighter, and her limbs grew bigger. As her body changed from a human form and into a massively sized wolf, her fur quickly sprouted out, leaving her with a thick beautiful black coat. When Madison finished transforming, she turned out to be a lot bigger than Regina imagined, standing at least six feet in height.

“You’re huge! It’s no wonder you took out my men." Regina said with astonishment.

In this form, Madison wasn’t able to talk. So, she slowly walked up to Regina, and lowered her head; motioning for Regina to touch her. Regina took the hint, and began to run her fingers through Madison’s fur.

"You’re beautiful as a wolf." Regina said quietly. 

At this, Madison slowly brought her head back up to look at Regina, and to gently nudge her nose up against Regina’s forehead. Then Madison stepped back and quickly changed into human form again. Afterwards, she walked up to Regina, and brought her hand up to touch Regina’s face.

"And you’re beautiful in human form.” said Madison.

As they looked into each other’s eyes, Madison leaned in to kiss Regina lightly on the lips. Feeling how pleasurable the kiss was, Regina motioned for another kiss that started off light, and gradually became even more intense with each passing second. As they kissed each other passionately, Madison lowered her left hand down to Regina’s waist to bring her in closer. Once Madison broke the kiss, she began to softly kiss Regina’s neck. A kiss here… a kiss there. Then Madison’s eyes began to glow again, while taking in a deep breath through her nose, close to Regina’s neck, picking up her scent.

“Are you sure you want to keep going?” Madison asked.

“Yes!” Regina said softly.

Madison smiled at Regina’s answer, before gently lifting Regina off of her feet and into her arms.

“I’m going to assume that your bedroom is upstairs?!” said Madison. 

"It is!" Regina answered. 

Then, they both smiled at each other, while Regina reached over for another kiss.

*******************************************

After they entered Regina’s bedroom, Madison put Regina down in front of the bed, and stepped back, while looking Regina up and down.

"Your turn.” said Madison.

Regina knew exactly what Madison meant and began to slowly undress, starting with her turtle neck. Madison loved watching as Regina revealed her beautiful body, and the way her hair became ruffled after taking off the turtle neck made her look even sexier. Once Regina removed her skirt, the only things left on were her bra, stockings, boots, and panties. For Madison, this sight before her was the epitome of magnificent. When Regina started to remove her bra, Madison moved towards Regina, and motioned for her to stop. Then, with her right hand, Madison gently grabbed Regina’s head, and went in for another passionate kiss, while her left hand reached behind Regina’s back and unlatched her bra. 

Then Madison broke the kiss and began to kiss Regina’s neck and shoulders. All the while, she had slowly slipped off Regina’s bra, and tossed it on the floor. Seconds later, she had Regina sit on the edge of the bed and lift up her left boot. Then Madison kneeled to the floor, in front of Regina, and started to unzip the boot. After she slid the boot off, she repeated the same motion with the right boot, and once both boots were off, Madison took Regina’s right foot and began to kiss it, starting from the arch. Then she moved slowly up Regina’s nicely toned leg and towards her inner thigh. Once Madison reached her inner thigh, Regina leaned back to lie down on the bed. After this movement of relaxation, Madison saw it as a great opportunity to easily slide her stockings off. So, she briefly stopped kissing, and slowly moved her hands up Regina’s outer thighs and hips, until she reached the end of the stockings, and began to pull them off.

After Madison threw the stockings aside, she climbed on top of Regina, kissed her again, and asked her to wrap her arms and legs around her so that she could pick her up and move her further up the bed. Regina did what Madison asked, and held on tightly.

“I love your strength.” said Regina.

Madison smiled in response, before moving downwards and lightly kissing Regina’s neck, then slowly moving towards her left nipple, and using her tongue to flitter over it until it became perkier and harder. Then she moved over to the other nipple by making a twirling path with her tongue around the right breast before flicking her tongue over that nipple to make it hard and perky as well. Meanwhile, Regina had her head back enjoying every last, slightly ticklish, flick of Madison’s tongue. Then Madison started to kiss Regina’s stomach; with each kiss getting lower and lower until she reached Regina’s black laced panties. Instead of immediately taking them off though, Madison decided to tease Regina by kissing and licking directly above her vagina with the panties still on; making Regina even wetter than she was before. After about a minute of this torturous tease, Madison decided that it was time to take them off. So, she stopped what she was doing, slowly slid them off, and tossed them aside as well. Then, she looked at Regina with a lustful, animalistic gaze.

"Damn! You look delicious!” said Madison; mimicking the Big Bad Wolf. 

What happened in the next hour or so, has been left for the imagination. ;-)

*******************************************

An hour or so later, they both fell back on the bed, feeling happily exhausted. As they lied on their backs, staring at the ceiling, and catching their breath, Regina turned to Madison and said, “That was fucking amazing! I had no idea that it could feel so good with another woman. Wow! Yeah, I’m definitely thinking that you’re a keeper." 

Madison smiled and moved closer to give Regina a soft long kiss.

"Well, I’m yours if you want me. I’m not perfect, but I’ll be forever loyal and protective. You’ve already got my heart.” said Madison.

A moment of silence immediately followed Madison’s comment. Regina really didn’t know how to respond to Madison’s blatant confession of love, as she was still trying to figure out her own feelings. She knew that she still loved Robin deeply, but she also knew that her feelings for Madison were a lot stronger. The question that plagued her mind right then though, was ‘why?’. Why were her feelings stronger for Madison? Was Madison her true love the whole time, or was she something else… something stronger than ‘true love’? As these thoughts ran through Regina’s mind, she kissed Madison lightly on the lips, turned her back towards her, and positioned herself beside her. Madison translated this to Regina dealing with a mix of emotions. So, instead of asking questions, she decided to comfort Regina by snuggling up closer to her, and placing her left arm around Regina’s waist. At that moment, Regina realized that that was exactly what she wanted, earlier that morning. Then she smiled, took in a deep breath, exhaled, and fell asleep.

 

Chapter 2 to be continued....


	2. The Pendant

When Regina slowly opened her eyes the next morning, she noticed the light seeping brightly through an opening in her curtains. ‘God! It’s morning already!’ she thought to herself. Then she stretched out for a second or two, and rolled over to see if Madison was still asleep. After seeing that she was still passed out and lying on her stomach, Regina took the time to admire Madison’s facial features, hair, and her left arm. Then she got up on her left elbow to get a better view of Madison’s back. The first thing she noticed was a large tattoo of the very same pendant that Madison had on her necklace the night before. It had three circles, with the smallest circle being the closest to the center, and a celtic knot that overlapped the circles. She looked at it for a minute or two, in the hopes that she could remember if she’d ever come across the symbol before. But, since nothing came to mind, she figured it would be one of the first things to talk about once Madison woke up. However, Regina wasn’t one for patience, so she leaned down over Madison’s face, and immediately began to kiss her on the cheek until she finally cracked an eyelid open. 

“Good morning, sleepy head!” Regina said quietly. 

Madison revealed a small smile and weakly responded. “Morning!”

“Did you sleep well?” Regina asked.

Madison responded with and up and down nod. “You?”

“I did actually.” Regina answered, before leaning over to kiss Madison on the temple. Then she paused for a second. “I umm– well, before I woke you up, I watched you sleep for a few minutes. I know that may sound a little creepy, but my point is, besides enjoying the sight of you being here, I noticed the tattoo on your back. It’s the same symbol as the pendant on your necklace. What does it stand for?”

Madison knew she’d have to explain this symbol to Regina at some point if she was going to be with her. She just didn’t look forward to it, because she figured that her own belief in it may seem a bit silly to Regina. But, instead of beating around the bush like she wanted to, Madison sat up in the bed and turned her back towards Regina, so that Regina could get a better view of the tattoo. 

“The actual pendant has been on my mother’s side of the family for generations, and was passed down to me the day I was born.” Madison answered. “As a baby, my mom said that it was never far from my side, and as I got older, I began to wear it around my neck. Since it’s so old, the story behind it is no longer clear. But, my mother and grandmother believed it to be a protection from evil spirits. Regardless, of what we believe though, whenever I have it, it makes me feel as though I’m destined to do something big, and that whatever it is, is a good thing. I just don’t know what it is. I tattooed it on my back as an extra precaution on the ‘evil spirit theory’ though. Plus, I’ve come to love the symbol.”

“Have you seen the symbol anywhere else?” asked Regina.

“No, not so far.“ Madison replied.

Regina sighed, brushed her hand down Madison’s back, and stopped at the end of the tattoo. 

“Maybe we should ask Rumpelstiltskin about it.” Regina suggested. “If anyone in town knows about this symbol it would be him. And since we don’t have anything concrete planned for the day, we might as well stop by his shop.”

“Ok.” Madison replied while looking back at Regina. “Just don’t expect me to make a deal with him.”

“Fair enough.” Regina responded. “So, breakfast at Granny’s?”

“Sure. Sounds good!” Madison answered. Then she turned around completely, and kissed Regina on the forehead.

“What?! No kiss on the lips?” Regina playfully complained.

“Heck no! I’ve got morning breath!” Madison said as she got out of the bed. “Hope you’ve got a spare toothbrush!” she continued as she headed for the bathroom.

Regina smiled, tilted her head and answered, “Underneath the sink is a spare!”

*******************

Around 10:30am, after they both showered, they walked downstairs and noticed that Madison’s clothes were still in a pile on the floor. 

“Guess I better grab these!“ Madison said smiling. "Thanks for letting me borrow one of your outfits, especially your undergarments– minus the bra. And, I love the color black!”

“I’ve noticed.” Regina said with a smirk. “Just be sure to take extra care of my sweater. It’s cashmere, so don’t just throw it in a washing machine like a garment from Wal-Mart.”

“10-4!" Madison replied as she picked up her necklace from the foyer table, looked at the pendant, and thought of the pending conversation she was soon to have with Rumpelstiltskin. Then she put it on, as Regina grabbed her car keys and both of their jackets. 

"Ready?” asked Regina.

“Yep!” Madison replied. Then she stepped up to Regina and kissed her sweetly on the lips.

“There’s that morning kiss I desired.” Regina said smiling and looking at Madison. Then Regina gave a quick kiss back and they both headed for Regina’s car.

******************

Once Regina and Madison entered Granny’s, they sat themselves in one of the booths by a window. A few seconds later, Granny came up to take their order.

“Good morning May—, I mean Ms. Mills! Sorry!” said Granny.

Regina gave a reluctant smile and returned the greeting. “Good morning, Granny!”

“Good morning, Madison!” Granny said with a ‘what are you doing?’ look on her face. 

“Good morning Granny!" Madison responded with a huge smile. "How are you this morning?”

“Oh, I’m fine. The question is, are you fine?” asked Granny.

“Well, yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” asked Madison.

“Word travels fast, Madison.” answered Granny. “Not only did people see you holding hands with the former Evil Queen, they saw what you did to Dr. Whale last night. Luckily, from what he said this morning, he’s not pressing any charges.”

“Well, he’d be wrong to. He was the one wh—” said Madison before Granny cut her off.

“Listen, I don’t want to know what all he said to piss you off. I just need you to control your temper. We don’t need another werewolf scare around here. Understood?” asked Granny.

Madison sighed with defeat and answered, “Yes. I’ll try my best, Granny!”

“So, what’ll it be?” asked Granny. “We’re out of bacon by the way. Everyone has been loving the ‘Meat Lover Pancake Special’. It included three stacked pancakes, layered with bacon, sausage, and ham.” Granny explained.

“Oh. So, in other words, the ‘Artery Clogger Special’ is off the menu.” Regina said sarcastically.

Then Granny looked at Regina as if wanting to say something back, but Madison quickly interrupted.

“How about two orders of blueberry pancakes with scrambled eggs?” asked Madison. “And two cups of coffee?" 

Regina looked at Madison as if wanting to say something else sarcastic. But, since Madison gave her a pleading puppy-dog look, she backed down, smiled, and agreed with the pancake order. 

"Ok, pancakes, scrambled eggs, and coffee. Anything else?” asked Granny.

“No, we’re good! Thank you Granny!” answered Madison.

After Granny walked away, Madison looked at Regina and asked, “Must you be so mean?" 

Regina smirked. "Must you be so presumptuous? Fortunately, for you, I actually want pancakes.”

“Hey, I was just trying to prevent a verbal cat fight between you two.” Madison responded jokingly.

Then Regina smiled, and was about to mention their upcoming visit to see Rumpelstiltskin, until Snow, Charming, Emma, and Henry walked in. 

“Mom!” Henry said excitedly while quickly walking over to Regina to give her a hug. “I thought you’d be home." Then he looked and greeted Madison. "Hello, I’m Henry. Who are you?" 

Madison smiled. "My name is Madison, and I’m a new friend of your mother’s.”

“Ok. Well, nice to meet you, Madison! Did you guys eat already?” Henry asked.

“Not yet, but we did order about three minutes ago.” Regina replied.

“Great! Then you guys can join us for breakfast." Henry said happily.

Regina and Madison stared at each other for a second or two, until Madison gave her the ‘ok’ look. 

"Sure, sweetie!” Regina replied.

Then Madison and Regina got up and sat down at the table where Snow and Charming looked at them with puzzled faces, and where Emma looked at them with an ‘Is this what I think it is?’ look on her face. Meanwhile, Henry was just happy to be with both of his moms and his grandparents. 

Shortly after sitting down, Regina introduced Madison. “Umm– Mary Margaret, also known as Snow, David, also known as Charming– this is Madison." 

"Hello, Madison!” Snow and Charming replied together.

“How long have you two been friends?” asked Snow.

“Well, this is our third day of knowing each other actually. We met here in Granny’s; which is where I also met Emma.” Madison answered.

“Oh! Emma never mentioned that.” Snow replied while looking accusingly over at Emma.

“Well, I was going to. I just never got around to it." Emma replied embarrassingly. 

"So, what are you two up to today?” Snow asked.

Regina rolled her eyes, thinking to herself that this was the exact kind of prying question she wanted to avoid while being with them. “Well, if you must know– we’re going to the shooting range." 

"The shooting range?!" Emma said with surprise in her voice.

"Yes! I want to try something new and exciting.” Regina answered.

“Have you shot a gun before, Madison?” asked Emma.

“No, I haven’t. It’ll be something new for me as well.” Madison answered with the best poker face she could manage; considering that Regina’s lie caught her off guard.

“What time are you guys going?” Emma asked. “I can give you guys some good tips.”

“There’s an instructor there that will give us all the tips that we need.” Regina responded bluntly. “That’s what they’re there for.”

“All right– You know, I actually need to brush up on my skills. It’s been awhile. How about I meet you guys there anyway?” asked Emma.

After Regina didn’t respond right away, Madison chimed in to prevent them from seeming too eager to keep Emma from coming along. “Sure, I don’t see why not. We’ll be heading there around three this afternoon, after we do a little shopping.”

“Great! I’ll meet you guys there!" Emma smiled while knowing good and well that they were lying.

After they all finished eating, they paid the bill, and headed out the door. 

"Well, it was nice to meet you two." Madison said to Snow and Charming.

"It was nice to meet you too.” Snow replied. “I look forward to hanging out with you again." 

"And it was nice to meet you as well, Henry.” said Madison while looking down at Henry.

"I’m happy I met you too. You’re pretty cool.” said Henry.

“All right, Henry.” said Regina. “So, I’ll pick you up tomorrow after school, ok?" 

"Ok!” Henry answered. Then he gave her a big hug. “Bye, Mom!”

“Bye, Henry!” replied Regina.

Then Henry, Snow, and Charming headed towards their car.

A few seconds later, after watching them walk away, Emma turned to Madison and Regina.

“So, what’s really up with you two?” asked Emma.

“Excuse me!” replied Regina, feeling irritated by the question.

“The two of you just met, and all of a sudden you guys are like two peas in a pod. Madison is even wearing your sweater; and I know you’re not the type to let other people wear your clothes. Are you two seeing each other?” asked Emma.

Madison raised her eyebrows, and was a little taken aback by Emma’s straightforwardness. Then she looked over at Regina to see if she should answer the question or not.

“Yes. We are.” Regina answered without looking at Madison, but instead never looking away from Emma. 

“But, I thought that Robin was your true love." Emma said sounding confused.

"Well, I thought so too. That’s not to say that I don’t love him–” said Regina. Then she paused, leaving a brief silence. “Look, I’m not in the mood to explain my feelings. Especially, not to you. I’m happy with Madison. So, let’s just leave it at that.”

“Ok. So, what’s up with the shooting range story?" Emma asked. "I know you guys pulled that one out of your asses.”

“You know what?! It’s none of your business, Swan." Regina replied feeling even more aggravated.

Then Emma raised both of her hands and said, "Ok! Sorry! I’ll back off.”

“Thank you!” Regina replied with relief in her voice.

“See you guys later." Emma said as she turned around to go catch up with her family.

Then Madison sighed. "You ok?”

“Yes and no. And Emma’s nosiness is not helping.” Regina answered.

“Well, she is the Sheriff.” Madison replied smiling.

Then Regina looked down at the ground, and then back at Madison with a concerned expression. “Madison, I need to know why I feel so strongly about you. Had I met you before Robin, or even Daniel, I probably would have naively accepted this as one of the loving relationships that everyone desires. But, that’s not the case. You’re different. I can feel it. I’ve also got a feeling that your pendant is the key to the answer I’m looking for.”

It pained Madison to know that Regina wasn’t entirely comfortable with their love for each other. To Madison, Regina was her first and only love. But, the more Regina talked about her pendant, the more anxious she became about the answers as well. So, Madison took Regina’s hand, and they both began walking to Mr. Gold’s shop.

******************************

As the bells on the door jingled from Regina and Madison entering Mr. Gold’s shop, Rumpelstiltskin looked up from a glass goblet that he was wiping down with a cloth.

“Hello Regina.” said Rumpelstiltskin. “Come to tell me some pressingly bad news that pertains to you and not me?”

Regina looked exasperatedly at Rumpelstiltskin.

“Actually, I’m here about my friend’s pendant.” Regina replied. “I’ve never seen it before and neither of us knows the real story behind it. I was hoping that you would have some knowledge of it, considering that it would fit the type of thing you would collect.”

“Friend?!” Rumpelstiltskin said sarcastically. “Looked to me as if she is more than just a friend. Or, were you two not just holding hands before you walked into my shop?!” Then he silently looked at Regina with his usual menacing look, and Regina tightened her lips and stared back at him. “So, let’s be straight with each other, shall we?!” he continued. “What’s your name, dearie?” he asked Madison. 

“Madison.” Madison answered.

“Madison.” said Rumpelstiltskin. “Surprisingly, I’ve never met you before. I take it you don’t get out much.”

Madison decided not to respond. Instead, she looked over at Regina, and then back at Rumpelstiltskin.

“Being cautious I see.” he said to Madison. “So, where’s this pendant you want me to see, Regina?”

“I’m wearing it.” replied Madison. Then Madison reached inside her sweater and revealed the pendant.

Once Rumpelstiltskin got a look at it, he paused and looked completely stunned.

“What? What’s wrong?” Regina nervously asked after seeing the look on his face.

“Where did you get that?” he asked Madison.

“It’s been in my family for generations, and was passed down to me– from your reaction, I have to assume that you’ve seen it before. What can you tell us about it?” asked Madison.

“A great deal actually.” he answered as he slowly walked back behind his counter.

“Well, are you going to tell us anytime soon? Or do you plan on standing there looking stunned for another half an hour?” Regina asked impatiently.

“Regina, I did some terrible things to get what I wanted, and what I did to you– the manipulations, the backstabbing. Well, none of that would have been possible had I not taken one key item out of your life; the key item that would have prevented my plan from working at all.” said Rumpelstiltskin.

“What in the hell are you talking about?” asked Regina.

“We live in a much bigger and more complex world than you realize.” said Rumpelstiltskin. “That pendant is only a small symbol of it, and it can only truly belong to an Akaidial– a specific Akaidial at that.”

“An Akaidial?” asked Regina.

“It’s what my dear Madison is from the looks and sound of it.” he continued. “She’s not only in possession of it, but the two of you are smitten for each other. There’s no other reason that would explain the quick connection between you two. I mean hell! You just split up from a true love, and here you are, bouncing back within days.”

“I’m not following you, Gold.” said Regina.

“That pendant was left on earth as a guide to help an Akaidial soul, who’s destined to face a Shadow, stay on track. It easily passes along throughout the years by staying within a bloodline. You may think that magic just passes through to the next generation, but it’s actually Akaidial souls sticking to a particular family. If anyone were to ever steal it, it would always magically return to the soul that’s destined to face a Shadow; which would be Madison.” explained Rumpelstiltskin.

Madison looked over at Regina with worry in her face. Then Rumpelstiltskin continued, “But, you, Madison, are only half of a soul, and in order to defeat a Shadow, you must become whole with your other half. And if I’m correct– your other half is Regina.”

Regina’s eyes widened in response to his last sentence. Then she looked over at Madison, while Madison looked at her, and despite the overwhelming mix of emotions caused by what she was hearing, an acknowledgment struck her heart.

“It was my pendant that you took wasn’t it?” asked Regina.

“Yes. Your pendant.” he answered. “You see, with my power of foresight, I got a glimpse of your life. But, the power you exhibited was of greater interest to me, and I knew that if you were the soul destined to face a Shadow, that that pendant was going to guide you to a purpose outside of my own– which was to practice the dark arts and to enact my curse. So, before you were even born, I stole it from your non-Akaidial grandmother and magically binded it into a box. Cora didn’t even know about it.“

“But, you said that if anyone were to steal it, that it would magically return to its rightful owner.” said Madison.

“Well, I’m not just anyone, dearie.” replied Rumpelstiltskin.

“You raggedy ass imp. You were never going to tell me about this, were you?!” Regina asked angrily. 

“Honestly, seeing the future isn’t always crystal clear. So, until it became clearer as to which Akaidial soul was to face this Shadow, I was going to keep it to myself. I only saw you wearing the pendant, but that didn’t mean that you were part of the Akaidial soul meant to face it. But, now that Madison is involved, and the two of you are ‘friends’, it’s become clear that you two are the Akaidial soul destined to save this world from a lot of devastation." Then he lifted his left hand and poofed a box into his hand. Afterwards, he placed it on the counter and removed the bind he placed on it. Once the bind was removed, the box opened on its own, as if waiting for Regina to pick it up. 

Regina looked at Rumpelstiltskin, and then back at the pendant. Seconds later, she picked it up, and immediately felt a rush of energy that made her feel as if she was a part of something big. Then she looked over at Madison, with tears forming in her eyes.

Seeing Regina’s reaction brought tears to Madison’s eyes as well, and then she weakly asked Rumpelstiltskin, "So, what you’re saying, amongst a pile of other things, is that Regina is half of my soul. How is this even possible?”

At that, Rumpelstiltskin poofed a small book in his hand.

“This book will tell you all you need to know about yourself, the Shadows, and the other souls.” said Rumpelstiltskin.

“And what exactly do you want for it?” Madison asked. Knowing that whatever the deal was, she wasn’t going to make it.

“If the part about you two existing has come to pass, then that means that a Shadow is not far behind. And since, I cannot take on a Shadow myself, I have to rely on the two of you. And if you two fail, then the rest of us will either die swiftly, or live miserably. In my case, I’d be miserable. Therefore, this book, is on the house. But, take good care of it. As it is one of a kind.” he explained as he handed it to Madison.

“Regina, are you ok?” Madison asked after she noticed that Regina was still standing silently while holding her pendant.

“Not at all.” answered Regina. “This feeling that I have with this pendant is something that I know would have led me on a lighter path– a path outside of petty vengeance. Whatever this Shadow is, we will deal with it and succeed. But, you, Gold– I have looked pass your loopholes to fuck me over several times, but this–” Regina sighed and continued, “I can never look pass." Then she turned, looked at Madison and said, "Let’s go.”

Although Madison was bothered by what all he did to Regina, she managed to give a head gesture of thanks, for the book, before turning to leave with Regina.

*****************

As they both walked into Regina’s living room, the silence, since they left the shop, had finally broken.

“Would you like a drink?” Regina asked.

“Yes, I would actually.” Madison answered to her own surprise. She knew she wasn’t much of a drinker. But, after what she just learned, a drink sounded pretty good at the moment.

While at the liquor cabinet, Regina opened up a bottle of gin, and filled two glasses; nearly topping the rim of her own glass. Then she took a sip before turning around to hand Madison her glass. 

“Thank you.” said Madison.

Then they both took a sip at the same time and stared down at the book that Madison placed on the coffee table, for a few seconds. 

“Well, are you ready to read what it says?” Madison asked with hesitation.

Regina sighed and took another sip of her gin. Then she used her power to open the book up to the first page. When they saw the first page, they noticed that it was written in some weird language, with geometrical shapes.

"Of course.“ Regina said raising her eyebrow. 

Then she waved her hand over the book, and quickly changed it to English. On the first page it read…

To live is to see. To die is to see the truth.

"Oooookay.” Madison said, feeling a little weary about what she was about to read in the rest of this book. “That’s a bit cryptic. I hope we don’t have to die in the process of fighting this thing.”

“Let’s just turn the page to learn exactly what we’re dealing with.” said Regina.

Then Madison turned the page, and read the following out loud.

_Planets of Akaidial_

_The souls of the Akaidial planets are bright and blinding to the human eye’s that hold the souls of Murglems and Kindings. They also have the ability to take on many different forms. But, their true form can be described as loose spirits, freely roaming their home planets, and taking in the pleasures that fit their moods. For example, if they want to see the ocean, they just have to desire it, and it appears. If they want to enjoy the taste of a dessert, they can create a body and the dessert within a second. Therefore, on Akaidial planets, you’ll see things and places appearing and disappearing constantly. ___

“Ok, so wait! Madison said feeling slightly excited. "If I’m an Akaidial, that means I can create want I want. Hmm– then I want a slice of cheesecake!”

Madison held out her hand in front of her, as if trying to make a slice of cheesecake appear on top of it. But, after seconds had passed, she gave up. 

“Ok, well that didn’t work?” Madison said disappointingly.

“Magic wasn’t easy for me to learn either. But, it was always inside of me. At least, that’s what Rumpelstiltskin told me. It’ll take some time. I’ll teach you. For now, let’s just keep reading.” explained Regina.

Then Madison continued with the following.

_The Akaidial souls have proven to be the most powerful souls in the universe, only second to The First; and The First is known by both the Shadows and the Akaidials as the one true source of energy. This energy is not to be conquered or used, and the Shadows that have tried, have been sucked back into The First, and never to be felt again._

_The Akaidials abide by only a few laws, and they are as follows:_

_1) Never leave their home planets without the consent of all the Akaidials._

_2) Always guide their other half home, no matter how long it takes._

_3) Never initiate a fight with a Shadow without the consent of all the Akaidials, and without being as a whole._

_4) Never try to leech energy from another Akaidial soul._

_If an Akaidial breaks any of the first three laws, the current Akaidial leader will perform a binding spell on their soul once they return, trapping them to the core of Akaidial for centuries. After their soul has been conformed and has suffered the extended split of their soul, they are released and able to be with their other half again. But, if they break the fourth law, their soul is banished and can never come back home; leaving that soul to wander the universe until they become so saddened and dark, that their energy eventually transforms into a black hole. ___

“I sure hope we didn’t jump ship without permission.” said Madison.

“Me either.” replied Regina. “Next page.”

Then Madison continued again.

_Akaidials and the Open Planets_

_After the attack of, the once Open planet, Llurogan, the Akaidials took it upon themselves to maintain balance within the universe. An Open planet is neutral to soul inhabitants and has several dimensions, just as the planet Earth. All of the souls of Akaidial possess the ability to transform and manipulate matter (i.e., magic), on Open planets, just as they can on their home planets. But, while on one of the Open planets, they are unaware of their origination or who they really are, just as the Kinding and Murglem souls. The reason for this lack of knowledge is because once a soul enters into an Open planet, they cross a veil that locks away their memories. This tact is seen as an Open planet’s way of defending itself from those wanting to create another Identical planet; a planet which is the equivalent of the prevailing souls’ home planets. Therefore, a soul has to find its way home once their body dies. But, finding their way home isn’t as simple as their soul floating back to its home planet. If, while on an Open planet, a soul has been manipulated, that soul may no longer belong to its place of origin. For example, if a Kinding’s soul goes dark due to the influence of a Murglem(s), their soul becomes destined for Murglem once their body dies. If a Murglem’s soul loses their fear, pain and desire, they will turn into a Shadow; which is a rare transformance on an Open planet, and the only way a Shadow can be in an Open planet. But, despite the great risks, these souls still choose to bask in the wonders of Open planets, with high hopes of adventure; no matter their intentions._

_The Akaidials, on the other hand, will usually only go to Open planets to make sure that the dangers will not become too great. But, some Akaidials go to have a little adventure themselves. These Open planets were created without souls, and are therefore, fair game; except to the Shadows. Each Open planet is different from the other. For instance, the planet Llurogan, was full of purple sand, and the beings there looked almost like the humans on Earth. Although, their skin was maroon red and very thick, while their hair was metallic silver. Every Kinding soul there was rather peaceful, except for Murglem souls, of course. But, for this planet, amongst other planets during this period of time, there wasn’t an agreed upon pact about the Shadows. There didn’t seem to be a need for one since the Shadows had always kept to their own planets. But, unfortunately, in the case of Llurogan, the Shadows wanted to expand, and expand they did. Without the help of the Akaidials, who kept to themselves as well, Llurogan and all of its inhabitants were doomed. None of the Kindings or Murglems made it back to their home planet. Their energy was consumed by the Shadows, in turn making the Shadows an even greater force._

_The Akaidials are the only souls that can consume the Shadows. But, they can only accomplish this as a whole; and as a whole, the Shadows are no match for them. Akaidials are the only souls out of the four that can split in half. Each half is the equivalent to the energy of one soul. Which means that energy wise, one half of an Akaidial, is equal to a soul that’s either Murglem, Kinding, or even Shadow. Besides the Akaidials ability to create what they desire, their soul, as a whole, is twice as strong as any other soul in the universe. If an Akaidial tries to take on a Shadow alone, they risk being consumed by the Shadow’s energy force, just like the Murglems and the Kindings. But, doing so, is a lot easier said than done. If an Akaidial is caught off guard and does not use their power tactfully, the Shadow will have a chance to consume their energy. Because of this, a pair is tasked to go to the Open planet that is prophesized to hold a newly transformed Shadow, and consume it before it gets a chance to consume others. If a Shadow were to succeed, the Kindings and the Murglems would easily be consumed, and the Akaidials would have to consistently fight until they either become whole with their other half, or their body dies from other causes. Once the Shadow has either consumed all of the Murglem and Kinding souls, and/or doesn’t have any other Akaidials to fight, the Shadow will then claim the planet, and make it accessible to the other Shadows._

_The Akaidials will only risk one whole soul to help save the other souls on an Open planet. This is simply because of the risk of losing power from their home planets. But, because one whole Akaidial soul is too strong for one body, they have to split up and find each other again; making it an even greater risk to complete this task. If the two halves do not find each other and bond on that particular Open planet, the Shadow will have a chance to take over. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance, that the chosen soul succeeds. ___

Madison let out a heavy sigh. “Well that was a lot to take in. And how, exactly, would we bond together? Would we magically turn ourselves into a spirit form and blend together? I can’t even make a slice of cheesecake appear.“

"I think ‘bond’ is the key word we need to focus on here. Not your lack of knowledge to perform magic. We’ve already found each other, which was a task in itself. There hasn’t been any news that we’ve come across, of souls being devoured. So, we’re obviously not too far off track. Hopefully, this book will be more specific about how we’re supposed to bond. If not, we’ll just need to figure it out on our own. Let’s read this section about the Shadows, to learn more about what we’re facing.”

“Ok.” Madison replied.

But, before Madison could continue reading, the doorbell rang.

Chapter 3 to be continued...


	3. The Shadow

“Are you expecting company?” asked Madison.

“No, I’m not.” Regina answered. “I’ll be right back.”

Regina put down her glass and started for the door. Once she reached it, she looked through the peep hole to see who it was. In a way, she thought it would be Emma coming to annoy the hell out of her again. But, to her surprise, it was a red-headed little girl. Relieved by this sight, she unlocked the door and opened it. 

“Hello Ma'am!” said the little girl.

“Hello!” Regina responded.

“My name is Samantha. But, most people call me Sam. I’m trying to raise money for my math club. See?!” said Sam while raising up her box of chocolates in front of her. “I’m selling dark chocolate almond bars, and milk chocolate bars. Each bar is one dollar.” she continued with a big smile on her face.

“Oh! Well, I don’t eat candy. But, to help you raise money, I’ll give you ten dollars without the candy bars. How does that sound?” Regina asked.

“That sounds great! Thank you!” Sam replied happily.

“All right, I’ll be right back.” said Regina before closing the door, and grabbing a ten out of her purse. When she opened the door again, Sam had her back toward Regina and was looking at another girl that was standing on the sidewalk right off of Regina’s property. “Who’s that?” Regina asked.

Startled, Sam quickly turned around and said, “Oh gosh! You scared me!“ 

"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. Is she in the math club as well?” Regina inquired.

“Umm– no. That’s my older sister. My mom wanted her to come along too, so I wouldn’t be by myself. But, I would soooo rather be alone though; my sister is super weird. But, hey, I’m only twelve, so I must accept my limited amount of freedom." Sam explained.

"All right, well– here’s ten dollars, and good luck selling your candy." Regina replied.

"Thank you! Have a nice day, ma'am!” said Sam before turning to leave.

Regina watched Sam for a few seconds, and then looked up to get another look at the other girl. From the looks of it, the young girl had blonde hair, a fairly slender frame, and was slightly taller than Sam. As Sam approached her sister, her sister held out her hand as if expecting Sam to take hold of it. Once Sam took hold of her sister’s hand, they both walked off.

Afterwards, Regina closed the door, and headed back to the living room. Once in the living room, Madison looked over and asked, “Who was it?”

“A little girl and her older sister selling candy bars." Regina answered.

"Oh! Did you buy any?” asked Madison, who all of sudden had a taste for chocolate.

“Noooo. I absolutely do not eat candy.” said Regina, wincing at the idea of eating something unhealthy.

“Well, what if the chocolate is melted on my body?” asked Madison, barely holding her laugh. 

“If you had melted chocolate anywhere on your clothes or your body, you’d be staying off of my furniture.” Regina answered with a cynical smile. “Now, let’s pick up where we left off, shall we?!

"Why, yes! We shall!” Madison responded with false enthusiasm. Then she sighed, picked up the book, and started again.

_Shadows_

_The Shadows are souls full of pure negative energy. Their planets are pitch black, with no other life force to be found anywhere. If you were to look up from one of these despicable planets, seeing the stars beyond the sky would be an impossible task. If one of their souls so happened to pass you by, even a glimpse would not be captured; for their dark souls are as dark as their planets. Therefore, only the darkest tricks that your eyes can play would be what you could see. However, you would feel an immense amount of iniquity surrounding your entire being._

_The Shadows do not have the power to create as the Akaidials, but they can commit a terrible, terrible act. They can consume the energy of souls; including the halves of Akaidial souls. What happens to the consumed soul is a complete loss of self. It becomes one with the darkness, and can never be what it once was._

_The Shadows have only one motivation, and that is to create more negative energy. With each soul that is consumed, the stronger the negative energy will become. If the Shadows were to succeed in taking over the universe, there would be no more light, and no more positive energy. But, as long as the Akaidials exist, this will never come to pass._

“Well, that was pretty damn grim.” said Madison, feeling as if the happiness had been sucked out of her and consumed just from reading about the Shadows.

“Yes, it was.” agreed Regina. “But, considering that I’ve done some ridiculously terrible things myself, we Akaidials aren’t exactly angels either. Especially, Rumpl—.”

“What?” asked Madison.

“Rumplestiltskin got his powers after killing the dark one before him, and I’m sure that the guy before Rumplestiltskin received his powers the same way; which would make Rumplestiltskin another type of soul. I’m guessing a Kinding gone rogue. If it weren’t for his love of his son and Belle, I’d say he was a Murglem. As for the powers he has, its source has got to come from the Akaidials, which clearly backs up the fact that we can become extremely dark ourselves." Regina paused, and continued with a little worry in her voice. "Rumplestiltskin is the darkest being I’ve known, who’s not an Akaidial. If the Shadows are even worse– then, I’m a little intimidated.”

Feeling a bit discouraged from what she read, and by what Regina just shared, Madison let out a heavy sigh and said, “To be honest, the more we get into this book, the more I wish we actually did just go to the shooting range. But, we didn’t. Instead, we learned about who we really are, and who all wants to destroy us. It’s a pile of negatives that I did not plan on dealing with today, or any other day for that matter. But, despite all of this, at least the one positive aspect of it all is you.”

Hearing this made Regina feel loved and desired; and in that moment all she wanted was to be close to Madison. So, she reached over, pulled back some of Madison’s hair, and placed it behind her ear. Then she held the side of Madison’s face and came in for a nice slow kiss. Afterwards, she stood up, and lifted her dress enough to be able to easily straddle on top of Madison’s lap. Once on top, she leaned down and began to lightly kiss around Madison’s face. The feel of this comforted Madison so much, that it made tears form in her eyes. She then thought to herself, ‘I cannot lose this woman.’ Then Regina backed up from Madison’s face and saw the tears about to fall.

"We’re going to be okay. Together we’re the strongest soul on this Earth, right?!” said Regina.

Then Madison nodded, gave a faint smile, and said, “I love you, Regina." 

Regina smiled and replied, "And I love you.”

Hearing those words from Regina for the first time, made Madison’s heart skip a beat. Then she reached up with both hands to grab Regina’s face to bring it down for another long kiss. She then slowly moved her hands down and around to unzip Regina’s dress. But, Regina gently motioned for her to stop and said, “I umm– would like to try something involving all of our clothes on.”

“Okay…” Madison replied.

Regina smiled in response and said, “I’ll take the lead." Then she ordered Madison to sit up on the couch with her feet planted firmly on the ground. Once Madison became situated, with Regina still on her lap, Regina hiked up her dress, revealing her silk, royal blue panties and her black sheer, strap-on panty hose. Then she lifted up Madison’s sweater, bearing her six pack abs, and demandingly said, "Flex for me." 

"Umm– I’ll need to lean back a little for that.” said Madison, wondering where Regina was going with this. But, to do as Regina ordered, Madison placed both of her hands behind her, with her upper back touching the back of the couch for support, and flexed her stomach as much as she could. Seeing the muscle definition immediately aroused Regina, so she placed her right index and middle fingers into her mouth to get them both nice and wet. Then she reached down, and shifted one side of her panties to the side, so that she could gently stroke her clit in an up and down motion. 

Watching Regina please herself made it a lot easier for Madison to keep her abs flexed; since the longer she watched the more naturally tense she became. When Madison went to grab Regina’s waist, Regina stopped her by quickly pushing her back down. Madison smiled in response, and then continued to watch Regina touch herself again. A few seconds later, Regina pushed forward with her pelvis, giving her clitoris ample access to pressure against Madison’s nicely ripped abs. She then placed her left hand further up the sweater to hold onto Madison’s right breast and to fondle her nipple, while she placed her right hand behind Madison’s neck for support. Then Regina looked into Madison’s eyes, and slowly began to thrust her hips back and forth, back and forth, and back and forth… The more Regina grinded up against her, the more Madison’s vagina ached. So, she brought one of her hands around to Regina’s left ass cheek, while still supporting with the other, and held on for the ride. A few moments later, as Regina came closer to orgasm, she leaned back with her right hand and placed it behind her on Madison’s thigh, while thrusting back and forth, harder and faster. Meanwhile, Madison was trying her best to hold back her orgasm, knowing that if she did come before her, that her abs were going to relax for a few seconds; seconds she knew she couldn’t afford. Fortunately, for Madison, moments later, Regina’s legs clenched tightly around Madison’s stomach, as Regina’s body began to shiver. Feeling the warm juices flow onto her abs, Madison could hold it no longer, and fell into cloud nine herself. A few moments later, after sweet release, Regina relaxed her legs, and Madison slowly sat up and wrapped her arms around her. Then, without saying any words, they held each other closely, and caught their breath. 

After they calmed down, Regina gave Madison another kiss on the lips and then a soft kiss on the forehead. Then she got up, pulled her panties off and used them to slowly wipe her juices off of Madison’s stomach. Afterwards, with a smile on her face, she placed her panties into Madison’s right pocket, pulled her skirt back down, and laid down on the couch while placing her feet in Madison’s lap.

Madison looked down at her lap, and then back at Regina. “I take it you want a foot massage?’

Regina gave a playful smile.

Interpreting her smile as a ‘yes’, Madison took off Regina’s heels, placed them on the floor, and began the massage.

About five minutes later, while massaging Regina’s feet, Madison started to think about the Shadows again and pondered a few things. Questions such as, ‘Why would The First create such a thing?’ and ‘Were they all Murglems at some point or just created that way?’ ran through her mind. Then she asked Regina if she wanted to move on and read about the Murglems. But, when Regina didn’t respond, Madison looked over and saw that she was fast asleep. Madison smiled, looked at the time and saw that it was only half past five; too early to go to bed, and too late for a nap. But, she decided to let Regina sleep for a little while, as she probably needed the rest more than she did. So, she kissed Regina’s feet, lifted them up just enough to move from under them, and then gently placed them on the couch. She then looked around for something to keep Regina warm. Once she saw an ottoman, she looked inside, and found a light blanket. After covering Regina with the blanket, she sat back down, picked up the book, and started to read about the Murglems.

_Murglems_

_The Murglem souls have no good intentions whatsoever. Their sole purpose in this universe is to disseminate, use, and devastate. The only difference between them and the Shadows, is that they still feel pain and can still experience fear. They get most of their joy from going after Kindings, because Kindings are less powerful, and easier to manipulate. Causing physical damage to Kindings is like going out for ice cream. But, causing psychological and emotional damage is what they pride themselves on. If it weren’t for their inability to go to the Kinding planets, they would probably have an endless amount of entertainment._

While on a Murglem planet, these souls are fairly stagnant, but can still move around their planets just as the Shadows, Kindings, and Akaidials. The color of their soul is quite murky with a brownish tint, and even though they don’t have the ability to create as the Akaidials can, they can still build most of what they desire by manual labor, and they can change into their latest Open planet form. 

_The Murglem planets aren’t dark like the Shadow planets, but the twisted and maniacal features are still unnerving. For instance, their lakes are dark and tar thick, their trees have the shape of legs for branches, and the magazines in their markets have subject titles such as, "How to Destroy a Kinding in Infant Form Successfully” and “Mastering your Inner Wretchedness”._

_As mentioned earlier, Murglems have the unfortunate ability to transform into Shadows, but that’s only once they have lost their ability to feel pain, their ability to fear, and their desire to manipulate others. Their transformation is also the only way that a Shadow can exist on an Open planet._

“In other words, this thing could be any number of assholes”, Madison thought to herself. 

*****************************************************************************************************************************************

An hour had gone by since reading about the Murglems, and although Madison was curious to know about the Kindings– the enlightening, but distressful information that she’d learned so far, was enough to contemplate in one sitting. So, she closed the book and decided to take a break in the backyard. As she sat underneath Regina’s apple tree, with her back relaxing on the trunk, she watched as the sun slowly transpired behind the forest. The view in front of her was beautiful; with hints of purple and pink blended in the dark blue sky, just above the receding sun. But, despite the beauty of it all, Madison’s mind became riddled with concerning questions. Questions about the location of the murglem, its human identity, and when it was going to change. But, the most concerning question was of their failure. What if she and Regina failed?

Naturally, after such thoughts, fear started to creep up on Madison; along with an excessive amount of stress. To counteract this effect, thereby allowing her to think more clearly, she knew she had to ground herself. So, she took in a deep breath, looked at the forest in front of her, and thought to herself, ‘It’s time for a run.’ Then she smiled, stood up, and began to take off her clothes. But, as she was about to take off Regina’s cashmere sweater, it dawned on her that she needed to let Regina know about her run. So, she walked back into the house, peeled off a piece of paper from the notepad on the refrigerator door, and used the attached pen to start writing her note on the kitchen counter. After a few seconds, Regina quietly walked in, saw Madison writing, and said, “Hey you! What are you writing?”

“Oh hey!" Madison said, after quickly looking up from the note. "I uhh– I’m writing a note.”

“A note?! A note about what?” Regina asked, feeling a little concerned.

“About me going out for a run.” Madison answered.

Regina raised her right eyebrow, and looked baffled. “Okay…”

Madison saw the look on Regina’s face, and explained herself. “While you were napping, I decided to read about the Murglems. And after learning about the Murglems, Shadows, and us, the information became overwhelming. So, I took a break outside. But, since my nerves are still a little shaky, I figured I’d go for a run. The ‘run’, is what this note is about.”

“So, in summary, you continued reading without me.” said Regina, feeling a little irritated.

“Yeah…” Madison responded while wincing apologetically.

“Well, what more did you find out?” Regina asked.

Madison sighed, looked at Regina, and answered, “From what I understand, this ‘changeling’ murglem could be any miscreant in society. A crooked cop, thief, bully, and/or murderer. I’m not even sure where it could be. Storybrooke?! Across the town lines?! In a different dimension?! I just know that if we don’t figure out how to attach our souls back together, we’re screwed. And it’s the ‘screwed’ part that’s bothering me the most." Madison then looked back down at the note, put the pen down, balled up the half written note, and threw it in the trash.

As they both stood there in silence, Regina could sense the amount of anxiety that Madison was experiencing. So, to avoid upsetting her even more by asking additional questions about the book, she instead asked, "So, how is this run going to help you? ”

“Whenever I get stressed out and can’t think clearly, I go out for a run in the forest. It’s a way for me to ground myself and regenerate.”

“Are you going to transform again?” asked Regina.

“Yes.” Madison responded.

Regina was quiet for awhile, then she looked down, then back up at Madison, and said, “Okay. While you’re out, I’m going to go take a shower, and read about the Murglems myself. By the time you’re done running, we should be on the same page.”

“Okay." Madison answered.

Then Madison stepped up to Regina, extended her right hand behind the upper back part of Regina’s neck, and kissed her on the forehead. Afterwards, she placed her forehead up against Regina’s forehead and closed her eyes for a few seconds. Then she backed away, and began to take off her clothes. "I shouldn’t be out for more than an hour”.

“Okay. Be careful, and try not to bring back any fleas.” Regina said in her usual sarcastic tone. 

Madison smiled and said, “I’ll be sure to bring back a tick just for you.”

After Madison was fully naked, with all of her clothes on one of the kitchen stools, she looked back over at Regina, smiled, gave her a quick kiss on the lips, and said, “See you in a little bit." 

"Okay.” Regina replied.

Then as Madison headed for the door, Regina headed for the shower.

Feeling the cold air against her bare skin, felt like a cool breeze in the Spring, and after standing there for about ten seconds, she broke into a sprint towards the forest, and quickly changed into a wolf. Once she reached the forest, she felt free; free from all her troubles, and free from responsibility. With each stride she took, she could feel the stress leave her body; and what took its place was the sounds of the forest ground beneath her paws, the feel of her steady heartbeat, the multiple fresh scents in the air, and the sound of her own breath. This run was exactly what she needed to detach herself, and to look at her situation with more objectivity. 

But after about twenty minutes into her run, when all was well, Madison heard a startling loud sound above her. From what she could tell, it sounded like a highly distressed owl. So, she immediately came to a halt, looked up to see if she could catch sight of what it was, but all she could see were branches, leaves, and the sky above. After seconds of searching with no luck, she looked back down, and decided to listen for some type of movement. When she didn’t hear anything, she decided to brush off the bizarre incident, and continue on with her run. But, right before she took off again, she picked up on a faint, but familiar scent; a rotting scent of a dead corpse, and even though the run gave her a sense of relief, this scent instantly replaced it with a sickening feeling. Reluctantly, she followed the scent for a few yards before she got a view of its origin, and instead of quickly running to it, she cautiously walked up towards it, making sure that there were no other predators around, and stood right next to it. She could tell that it was a dog; a German Sheppard from the look of it. But, the eyes were missing, along with its seemingly cut off tail, and its tongue was resting just above its head. The fur around his neck was stained with a lot of blood, indicating that he was probably stabbed in the throat, and there was a piece of black cloth tied just above his right paw. Finding the dog like that was highly disturbing for Madison. So much so, that she lifted her head back and let out a loud, distressing howl into the sky. After her second howl, other wolves in the area began to howl as well. 

Back at the house, Regina heard the howls and instantly felt that something was wrong. So, she put down the book and teleported herself out into the forest. Since she didn’t know exactly where Madison was, and the howls were coming from numerous wolves, she had to start calling out for Madison. After Madison heard Regina in the distance, she stopped howling, and began to run towards her. When Regina heard something coming her way, she braced herself for a fight, knowing that she could have attracted another wolf. But, once Madison got closer to Regina, she transformed back into her human form, and appeared quickly from behind a few trees. Seeing that is was Madison, Regina let out a heavy sigh of relief. 

“Are you okay? Madison asked, breathing heavily.

"Am I okay?! You were the one howling out in the middle of forest as if something was wrong! Now, what the hell were you howling about?” Regina asked.

“I found a dead dog not too far from us.” Madison answered.

“A dead dog?! You were howling like something terrible had happened, and it was because of a dead dog?!” Regina replied.

Madison looked hurt from Regina’s reaction, and answered in a defensive tone. “It was mutilated, Regina. Whatever happened to that dog was no mistake or natural occurrence. Someone killed that dog, and what I saw was terrible. Wolves aren’t much different than dogs. It was like seeing a family member lying there.”

After hearing this, Regina instantly felt bad about her reaction, and was silent for a few seconds. “I’m sorry– But, in my defense, you scared me. I thought that something had happened to you–which made everything else, besides Henry, trivial. So, the next time you have some terrible news, lead with the important details. Okay?”

“Okay.” answered Madison.

“Now, show me where this dog is.” Regina continued.

Madison turned around and began to walk back towards the dog. Once they reached it, Regina magically lit the area so that she could see it better. The sight of this brutally butchered dog didn’t faze her as much as it did Madison, but from what she could tell, whoever did it, enjoyed what they were doing. “You’re right– this was no accident.” said Regina. “Did you touch anything?”

“No. Why?” asked Madison.

“I’m going to have Emma check this out, and I want her to see it just as you found it. I’m hoping that whoever did this was sloppy enough to have left part of themselves behind. A strand of hair, shoeprints– their own blood." Then Regina looked at the black cloth. "I wonder what this black cloth is all about.”

“Yeah, I saw that too. It’s probably just some sick, psychotic signature.” Madison said solemnly.

Regina then stepped back from the dog and used a preservation spell around the area, along with a protection spell so that no one else could come within a hundred feet of the dog. Then she took Madison by the hand and teleported back to the foyer of the manor. 

“All right. I’m going to call Emma and have her take a look.” said Regina. “In the meantime, you need to go take a shower. When Emma, and possibly even Charming, gets here, I plan on going back out there with them. Since this is a pretty sensitive scene for you, I would understand it if you didn’t want to go back out there.”

Madison exhaled slowly, was silent for a few seconds, and began to see flashbacks of the mutilated parts of the dog. A few moments later, the sound that startled her came across her mind. It was then that she realized that had it not been for that awkwardly loud sound, she might not have picked up on the scent in the first place. 

“Are you okay?” Regina asked.

Madison snapped out of her thoughts, and said, “I think I was lead to that dog.”

“And why do you say that?” Regina asked.

“While I was running, there was a sound that startled me. It kind of sounded like an unusually loud hoot from a distressed owl. When I stopped to figure out what was wrong, I was never able to find it; which I thought was pretty weird. But, it was when I stopped running, that I caught wind of the dog’s scent. I know it may sound like a bit of a reach, but I’ve just got this feeling that me finding that dog was more than a coincidence." Madison explained. 

"Interesting…" Regina said with a thoughtful gaze. "After what I’ve experienced, throughout my life, I’ve come to the conclusion that coincidences are either a rarity or non-existent. And as fast as everything has been happening with us so far, I wouldn’t be surprised if whoever messed up that dog is the murglem that we need to destroy." 

"You really think it would be that easy?!” Madison asked.

“One can always hope, right?!” Regina replied.

Madison smirked and said, “Yes, one can always hope." Then she brushed her fingers through her hair, took in a deep breath, exhaled, and then looked back at Regina. "If whoever did this is the murglem we’re looking for, then we need to find it, before it finds out who it is, and what we are.”

“Yeah, well hopefully, it doesn’t already know what we are.” Regina replied.

******************************************************************************************************************************************

It was a serene moment in the outdoor halls of Storybrooke Middle School. The sun shined brightly as the wind blew in between the halls, pushing the dead leaves around with no particular course or direction, and the silence was as comforting as a piece from Chopin. But, to end such serenity, the school bell rang, and within seconds, children burst out of the classroom doors with a brief sense of freedom. There were smiles that gleamed across a few of their faces, laughter that traveled through the halls, and of course the exact opposite from others; others who worried about their upcoming class, test, or quiz. 

“Hey, Sam!” yelled a boy wearing a blue sweater vest over a white long sleeve collar shirt, with gray pants, and brown leather penny loafers. “Sam!” he yelled again. When he called for the second time, Sam recognized his voice, and reluctantly turned around. But, before he could see her true facial reaction, a look of pure annoyance, she forced on a nice, welcoming smile. 

“Hey, Kenny. What’s up?” Sam responded.

“Perfection!” Kenny said with an arrogant smile. “I sold all of my candy bars– again. Which places me at the top to win the grand prize, and you in second place to win umm?! Nothing!“ 

"That’s right, Kenny! Revel in your temporary glory. I’ve still got two more days to win that calculator. So, I wouldn’t gloat too much if I were you.” Sam responded with confidence.

“Whatever. The prize is for ‘results’, not ‘talk’.” said Kenny.

“Well, if that’s the case, then quit wasting my time with these pointless conversations.” Sam replied, before turning around and continuing on to her science class. 

Science and mathematics were Sam’s favorite courses, and since sitting at the front seemed to give the best access to whatever the teachers decided to pass on, she always preferred the seat that was closest to the board. So, naturally, once she got to her science class, she sat at the first counter in the front of the classroom. Moments later, after placing her notebook, pen, and textbook on the counter, Sam’s lab partner walked in and sat right next to her.

“Hey, Jackie!” Sam greeted.

“Hey, Sam! Ready to talk about mammals again?” Jackie asked with fake enthusiasm.

Sam smirked and said, “I’ve actually been enjoying this section. My project is already done.”

“Already?! We were just assigned that project four days ago.” Jackie said in amazement.

“Yeah, but I don’t like doing things at the last minute.” Sam explained.

“So, which part of the body did you choose?” Jackie asked.

“The eyes. At first, I thought about other body parts, but I wanted to choose a part that all mammals need the most. You know, one of the five senses. Hearing, touch, sight, smell, and taste.” Sam answered.

“That sounds cool!” Jackie responded.

“Yep! It does. And as usual, I plan on getting an 'A’.” said Sam, smiling gleefully, knowing that she got most of her science project material from the neighbor’s dog.

After Sam’s science class, which was her last course of the day, she walked home alone as she usually did on a Monday afternoon; an afternoon that didn’t involve a math or science club meet up. But, despite the usualness of her schedule, a significant part of her route home had changed; a change that unsurprisingly put an extra pep in her step. Especially, when she walked pass her neighbor’s fence, three houses down from her own. It was just the day before, when a German Sheppard resided behind that metal confinement. But, on this day, as she walked by the fence, she enjoyed the sight of a nearly empty, unkempt yard with only a dog house and a water bowl for outdoor decoration. To Sam, the dog had it coming. The constant barking and stare downs were annoying on its own, but it still wasn’t enough for her to conclude its imminent demise. Instead, it was the incident that happened three days ago on a Friday morning, when Sam’s mind was completely occupied with a difficult math question, that she failed to solve for her homework assignment. When she passed the fence that morning, entirely unaware of her surroundings, the dog jumped at the fence, right next to her face, and scared the crap out of her. In reaction to being scared, she tripped on her own feet, scraped her right knee and palm on the sidewalk, and dropped her lunch box. Had she been wearing any other pair of pants or jeans during that fall, the dog might’ve still been alive. But, because it was her favorite pair of black pants, the one’s she had to beg her mom for, the dog was doomed.

During the rest of that particular Friday, her mind was consumed with terrible ideas; ideas on not only how to make the dog suffer, but on how to get rid of the dog altogether. She thought of burning it, poisoning it, and stabbing it to death. But, in the end, because of her background in archery, she decided to shoot it with an arrow, out in the middle of the woods. Once she figured out what method she wanted to use, she began to think about the timing, and how she was going to make it all happen. She already knew the neighbor’s routine, since her sister volunteered to pet sit just a few months ago, and although her sister didn’t talk much, she learned that the neighbor was a nurse with a twelve hour shift; approximately 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. She also learned that the dog goes in the backyard during the day, but goes out for a walk beforehand at around 7:20 a.m., and is back by around 7:45 a.m.. Fortunately, for her, this timing was perfect, particularly since on Sundays her sister and mother would still be asleep. Her father, on the other hand, had been permanently sleeping since she was five. He had a stroke while he was driving, crashed head on into a semi-truck, and died instantly.

After she figured out the timing, she started to think about how she was going to get the dog away from the house, and into the perfect spot where she could do what she wanted. So, on that Saturday morning, she walked around in the woods and found an easily climbable tree, just a few yards away from the house. She climbed it, looked down, and pretended like she had the bow and arrow in her hands in the ready position. Seeing that it would work perfectly, she got down, and started to think of an exit strategy for the dog. After pacing back and forth for a few minutes, she remembered how high the grass had grown, and figured that with the grass being so high, the neighbor wouldn’t notice a big hole underneath the fence; a hole just big enough for the dog to crawl through and chase her into the woods. After that thought, her plan was set. All she had to do then, was wait for Sunday morning.

When Sunday morning rolled around, she hopped out of bed, at 6:30 a.m., feeling slightly anxious about her plan. It wasn’t that she was fearful or scared of being caught or hurt, it was that she was anxious to get it over with. So, after hopping out of bed, she quickly dressed herself in the darkest clothes that she could find in her wardrobe. Then she looked over at her ruined pants, lying on her desk chair with the childish illusion that the tattered part could be mended, and paused. In that instance, as she stared at it sadly, a sense of reality hit her, and she thought to herself that even if they could be mended, they’d never look as good as they once did. So, instead of leaving them there any longer, she picked them up, and held them one last time. But, the longer she held on to them, the faster her anger replaced her sadness again; and because of this, the grip on her pants became unbearably tighter. When she could hold on no longer, she loosened her grip, took a pair of scissors from her desk, cut off the piece that was ruined, and stuck the piece in her pocket. Afterwards, she threw the pants in the trash, grabbed her bow and arrow out of her closet, and took the Swiss knife, from her desk drawer, for back up. Then she cracked her door open, making sure not to wake her mother and sister, and creeped down the hall towards the staircase. Once she made it down the stairs, she headed straight for the garage and grabbed the shovel. Afterwards, she went out the backdoor, jumped her fence and walked through the woods to the tree she planned to climb. When she arrived at the tree, she dropped the shovel on the ground, placed the bow and arrow quiver around her back, and started to climb it. Once she was in the spot that she wanted to be in, she took off the quiver and hung it carefully on a tree branch. She then looked at her watch and saw that it was 7 a.m.. So, she jumped back down, picked up the shovel and started to walk towards the neighbor’s house. But, before going up to the fence, she waited behind some bushes on the left side of the house in order to see the neighbor and her dog leave. As she sat there waiting, she got bored and started to think about what she wanted for breakfast. She thought of grits and eggs, pancakes, and French toast, but seemed to have an appetite for waffles the most. Then she started to wonder what coffee tasted like; bitter, bland, or sweet? After thinking about food in this situation, it dawned on her that she felt no remorse for what she was about to do; and that thought, as odd as it was, didn’t bother her either. So, she went back to thinking about what she wanted to eat.

A few minutes later, she looked back down at the time and saw that it was exactly 7:20 a.m. So, she watched intensely; anticipating their passing at any moment. But, when five more minutes went by without any action, disappointment started to arise; at least until she heard a door close and the sound of a dog collar. Hearing these sounds, created a spark of excitement that ran through Sam’s veins, and after seeing them both walk by, she immediately hopped up, walked over to the fence, and started to dig the hole. Digging the hole turned out to be a lot harder than she imagined, but she finished within fifteen minutes, went back to the tree, dropped the shovel, and took a breather. Minutes later, she heard the sliding door to the house open and close. But, before she headed back, she waited for a few minutes to listen for the car to crank up and leave. Once she heard it leave, she quickly headed towards the fence to entice the dog. But, before she made it within twenty feet of the fence, she noticed that the dog was already sniffing around the hole. So, she stopped dead in her tracks and whistled. Once the dog looked up, and saw that it was her, he started with an extremely vicious growl that was quickly followed by an equally vicious bark. Sam smiled in response to such intimidation, then turned around and swiftly ran for the tree. While she ran as fast as she could, she looked back to make sure that the dog was following her; which it was… inching its way through the hole. When she made it back to the tree, she climbed it, took the bow and an arrow out of the quiver, and got ready to shoot. Within seconds, the dog came around and started to sniff around the shovel. Sam smiled again, exhaled, and shot him in the neck. Immediately afterwards, the dog let out a short cry, and fell on its side. Sam then grabbed her quiver from off the tree branch, climbed down, and watched as he bled out and stopped breathing.

While she looked down at its dead body, a sense of accomplishment came over her; she’d successfully killed something, on her own, that was bigger than a bug. Several seconds later, after much panting, she put her bow and quiver on the ground, took the ruined piece of her pants out of her pocket, and looked at it once more. Then she kneeled down next to the dog, and tied it around his right leg… just above its paw. “It’s not so nice to wear tattered clothes now, is it? Stupid dog.” she said to him with a loathsome expression. Then she took in a deep breath, exhaled, and visually scanned his body. Moments later, and idea came to her mind. "You know what?! You would actually come in quite handy for my science project. I’m not sure which part of your body to choose though. Your tail, maybe? That might be cool. It’s a good thing I brought my knife!” Sam continued, before she whipped out her Swiss knife, chose the sharpest one that she had, and began to cut. Once she got it off, she realized that it would be too big and messy, so she carelessly flung it away behind some bushes. “Well, that was no good. Maybe something smaller? Your tongue isn’t so big, right?! Yeah, let’s try your tongue." Then she opened up his mouth even wider, and began to cut out his tongue. Once she cut it all the way through, she held it in her hands, and thought of all the germs on it; she was disgusted. "Ok, this is gross, and it stinks. Nope!" Then she dropped it right above his head. Once she looked back down, she took notice of his eyes. "You know, alive your eyes looked cold and mean. But, now that you’re dead, they’re quite adorable." Then she looked at them for a few more seconds, petted the side of his head a few times, and decided to take his eyes. But, instead of using the knife, she used her fingers to slowly and carefully pull them out. Once she had both of his hazel eyes, she took the cloth that was in her quiver pocket, and replaced it with one of the dog’s most precious senses. Then she wiped her hands as clean as she could get them, along with the knife and arrow that she pulled from the dog’s neck, placed the knife back in her pocket, and put the bow and quiver around her back. Then, with a mischievous grin, she looked down at the dog once more, and said, "So long, doggie!”

Chapter 4 to be continued...


	4. The Savior

It was a little after 9:15 on Sunday night, when Emma’s phone began a well-known tune through the denim of her back pocket. Just seconds beforehand, she, Henry, and her parents had entered into the front door of Snow’s apartment, completely exhausted from their day of putt putt golf, go-karting, and indoor rock climbing. The song continued on, as Emma took off her jacket, and threw it over the kitchen stool; a stool among others that blended well with the surrounding rustic décor. As Emma reached for her phone, she caught a glimpse of Snow and Charming, watching her with amusement and curiosity.

“What?“ Emma asked. 

"What’s that tune from?” Snow asked.

“The People’s Court!” Emma answered. “It was one of my favorite shows.”

Snow and Charming raised their eyebrows, in response, and smiled at each other.

“Hey, don’t make fun! It’s a good show!" Emma insisted.

"I’m sure it is." Snow replied jokingly, before continuing to unwind.

After Emma pulled out her phone, she immediately looked at the screen, and dropped her head at the sight of Regina’s name. She was already fully aware, that at that time of night, a phone call from Regina would be anything but pleasant.

"Who is it?" Snow asked, after seeing Emma’s reaction.

"It’s Regina." Emma answered. "Hey, Regina. What’s up?”

“We have a problem.” Regina answered.

‘Of course’, Emma thought to herself. “So, what’s the problem?”

“Is Henry around you–within earshot?" Regina asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Emma asked.

"Because, I don’t want Henry to catch wind of what I’m about to tell you." Regina explained.

Emma glanced at Henry, who was fixing himself something to drink, and slowly turned her back to him. "All right–lay it on me.”

“Madison found a severely butchered dead dog in the middle of the woods. Its tongue was either ripped, or poorly cut out, and carelessly placed above his head. His eyes and tail were M.I.A., and his neck was fairly covered in blood–I’m guessing his own." Regina explained casually, while Emma’s eyes widened in horror. "What caught my attention the most was the black piece of cloth on its right leg. It might be a symbol or signature–either way I’m hoping that it can lead us to whoever did it." Regina continued.

After a few seconds of silence on Emma’s end, Regina asked, "Are you still there?”

“Yeah, I’m just–” Emma stopped and sighed in mid-sentence, using the tips of her left fingers to rub her forehead. “How far out in the woods are we talking?”

“A couple of miles, south of my house." Regina answered.

"A couple of miles?! Why was she so far out? Was she hunting again?" Emma asked.

"No, she was not out hunting again.” Regina answered with an agitated tone. “She went out for a run." 

"Are you sure about that?" Emma asked.

"Yes, I’m sure!” Regina barked. Any other fatuous questions you’d like to ask? Or shall I continue?”

Emma let out a heavy sigh, and closed her eyes; holding back her feelings of distrust.

“Anyway, I placed a protection spell around the area, so that it will remain the way we left it. I would have tried a location spell, but that would’ve required some disturbance– a disturbance that I’d rather not risk, considering that it’s not full proof. Besides, crime scenes are your area. Which is why I called you. So, extract yourself out of bed, cancel your date with Hook, or put the powdered doughnut down, and meet me at my house.” said Regina, before instantaneously hanging up the phone.

Seconds later, after stewing silently over Regina’s poor phone etiquette, Emma placed her phone back in her pocket, and reluctantly put her jacket back on.

“What’s going on?" Charming asked; while Snow and Henry chimed in as well. 

When Emma turned to answer, she had to stop herself after glancing down at Henry. So, instead of telling the truth, she whipped up the first tale that came to mind. "Madison ran into an abandoned bag full of items that looked like they were stolen. So, I’m going to go check it out. I probably won’t be back until you guys are asleep. So, Henry– I’ll see you in the morning for waffles?”

“Yeah. Sure. Waffles.” Henry remarked sarcastically; knowing that she was lying. “Goodnight, Mom!” He said, as he turned to get ready for bed.

“Good night, Henry!” she responded, while watching him leave in disappointment. She hated making him feel left out. But to her, it was a lot better than making him feel afraid. Once Henry was out of sight, she looked at Snow and Charming solemnly, and hinted for them to follow her outside. After they made it down the stairs and out of the door, Emma motioned for them to hop inside her old yellow bug. Once they were all seated, Snow looked at Emma and said, “This must be really bad.”

“Well, it’s not the worst thing that I’ve dealt with. But, the details are grim, and I know that Henry is nosy enough to try and listen from the windows.” Emma replied.

Snow gestured in agreement, and looked back at Emma. “So, what did Regina tell you?”

“She and Madison found a dead dog a couple of miles away from her house. And from her morbid description, it definitely wasn’t an accident.” answered Emma.

“Oh my God! That’s terrible.” Snow replied, feeling instantly sorry for the dog.

“There’s more." Emma continued. "Regina and Madison are together.”

After hearing this, Snow’s eyes widened in response, while Charming’s eyes instantly fell into a squint.

“As in seeing each other?” said Charming, feeling completely baffled as to how Regina even managed to have two loves; let alone three. 

“Yes. I found out officially after breakfast this morning.” Emma answered.

“Wow!” said Snow, as she gazed for a few seconds in disbelief. “Well… I gotta admit. It’s a much better reaction compared to when she lost Daniel." 

"Tell me about it. Seeing Regina on the rebound is much better than worrying about what curse she’s planning to cast on the entire town.” said Charming, grinning at his own comment.

“You guys, I don’t think this is as simple as a rebound.” said Emma.

“Well– what do you think it is?” Snow asked, after seeing Emma’s concerned expression.

“I don’t know, but other than the fact that I don’t know anything about Madison, there’s something else that’s been bothering me." Emma paused for a moment; thinking of a way to explain her troubling thoughts. "You know how there’s this energy between two people that love each other?”

“Yeah. Of course." Snow replied, before smiling at Charming.

"Well, I’ve felt it between you two, I’ve felt it between Regina and Robin, and I’ve even felt it between Mr. Gold and Belle. But, what I’ve been feeling between Regina and Madison is way different. At first it was subtle– when they first met. And even though it felt weird, I blew it off. But, this morning– during breakfast, that energy was a lot less subtle.”

After hearing this, Snow looked at Charming and then back at Emma. “Did this energy feel good? Or bad?" Snow asked.

"It didn’t feel good or bad…. it felt familiar. Emma answered.

"Familiar?” asked Snow, wanting Emma to elaborate. 

“Yeah. But, I can’t remember when I’ve felt it before." Emma explained.

"That is weird.” said Snow.

Then Emma sighed, and looked at her watch. “I better get going.”

“You want me to come with you?” Charming asked. “We can talk about it some more on the way.”

“No, thanks. At least one of us should be wide awake tomorrow. But, I’ll call you if I need back up.”

“Ok.” said Charming.

“Good night, you two!” Emma replied.

“Good night, Emma!” they both said as they hopped out of her car.

Once Snow and Charming were out of the car, Emma started the engine, and drove off.

About ten minutes later, Emma was on Regina’s front porch, knocking firmly on the door. Within seconds, the door was unlocked, and opened; revealing Regina’s distraught demeanor.

“Come on in.” Regina said while moving aside. “Madison is making some coffee– we figured it would be a late night. Would you care for some as well?”

“Yes, I would actually.” Emma answered.

“Good. How do you take it?” Regina asked.

“With cream and some serious peace of mind.” said Emma.

“Wow! The dog is a bit disturbing, but I didn’t think it would stress you out that much.” said Regina.

“It’s not just about the dog, Regina.” said Emma. “It’s about you and Madison.”

Regina let out a frustrating sigh. “Emma, I get that our relationship has developed outside of the norm. But, your obvious suspicion of Madison needs to stop.”

“Mm hmm. Tell me something, Regina. Why do you trust her so much?“ Emma asked.

Then Regina stepped closer to Emma; face to face. "Because, she’s the other half of my soul. Literally.”

Emma blinked a few times; surprised by Regina’s words. “Say what?”

Regina stepped back, keeping her eyes on Emma. “Instead of the shooting range, we went to see Rumpelstiltskin about Madison’s pendant. It’s been in her family since before anyone could remember, and for some reason, I had a feeling that it might explain what was happening between us– why I felt so strongly about her. Turns out, I was right. But, the explanation ended up being a lot more complicated than I could imagine.”

“How so?” Emma asked.

Regina smirked and stepped away from Emma. “Emma, before I indulge you on everything that Madison and I have learned, you’re gonna want to have a seat– and possibly even a drink with that coffee.” Regina suggested.

*****************

After Regina and Madison brushed Emma up on the Shadows, Murglems, Kindings, and Akaidials, Emma was in a state of disbelief, anger, and fear. But, even though the information was hard to swallow, she knew that denying it would be detrimental and futile. As for her anger, most of it revolved around Rumpelstiltskin. She knew that he could be selfish, and cruel. But, to withhold such dire information, thereby risking the lives of everyone on Earth– was simply unforgivable. Fear wise, she was more afraid of what would happen to Henry than anyone else including herself; and the fact that she felt no control over their fate, made her even angrier. 

As Emma sat on the couch with the empty cup of coffee in her hands, she looked at Regina and said, “You’re right, I do need a drink. Because, right now I want to obliterate Rumpelstiltskin with the snap of my fingers.”

Regina smiled. “I’m sure we can arrange that. But, first we need to deal with finding the Shadow, and figuring out how Madison and I are going to merge our souls together.” said Regina.

“Yeah, about that. Ever since I’ve been around you two, I’ve been feeling this weird energy– which was another reason why I was so suspicious of Madison. But, it’s like an energy that’s pulling the two of you together. And each time that I’ve been around you guys, it’s gotten stronger.” Emma paused for a second. “Tonight– it’s even stronger.”

Then a thought occurred to Regina as she looked at Madison. “Madison, I’m going to teleport somewhere randomly in town.”

“Why?" Madison asked.

"I’ve just thought of something.” Regina said before going up in a purple poof.

Then Emma looked at Madison, as Madison stood there in confusion. Seconds later, Madison felt an intense pull from the center of her chest, and started to panic.

“What’s wrong?” Emma asked.

“Something’s pull—“ said Madison before disappearing in a black poof.

"Ho-ly shit!“ Emma said in amazement.

Chapter 5 to be continued...


	5. Realizations

A black smoke appeared beside Regina as she stood on the dock of Storybrooke Bay. Within seconds, Madison appeared before her with a look of surprise and fear on her face. 

“Did I just teleport?” Madison asked with panic in her voice.

“It would seem so.“ Regina replied.

"But, how?” Madison asked. “I’ve never even practiced magic. At least, not here like you have." 

"Well, if I’m correct, in this case it doesn’t matter. What Emma said about this energy getting stronger between us, made me realize that our soul is attaching back together– whether we want it to or not. Which means that sooner or later, we’ll be incapable of being any more than a micrometer apart. Our soul will become one again. Which is great for the task ahead, but not so great for our bodies." Regina explained.

Madison watched as Regina looked down at the ground, and could easily tell that her mind was going over the worst possible outcomes.

"Well, maybe our soul will just detach itself from our bodies temporarily, and when we’ve completed our mission, we’ll split up again.” said Madison with hope in her voice.

Regina smirked. “Now, wouldn’t that be a perfect a fairytale ending?!" Then she looked up at Madison and smiled; taking a moment to look into her eyes, and to imagine how that ending would’ve played out. But, once she thought of the book again, her smile faded away. Then she turned to the ocean, walked closer to the edge of the dock, and crossed her arms. "It won’t split up again– at least, not into our bodies. We’d be too strong." She paused for a few seconds, hating the words that were coming out of her mouth. "That book might not have been clear about how we were supposed to attach, but it was very clear about our anatomical limitations. Our one soul is already split into two bodies, because of how strong it is. I can’t imagine that our bodies will be able to hold an even stronger soul. So, once we’re done consuming even more energy, we’ll have to leave and go back to Akaidial– a place that I haven’t the slightest memory of." Moments later, Regina’s eyes began to tear up as she stared out into the dark ocean. "As glorious as it all may sound, saving the world and all– in the end, I’m going to lose Henry– once again. But,for good this time.”

After hearing this, Madison walked up behind Regina, wrapped her arms around her waist, and kissed her right shoulder. It didn’t take too long, after holding Regina, for Madison to feel the love for Henry, as Regina did, and start to cry herself.

Minutes later, once the tears had fallen, they were wiped away as if the moment had never occurred. 

“We need to get back, and figure out our next step.” said Regina, clearing her throat.

“Ok.” Madison agreed.

Then Regina took Madison by the hand, and teleported them back to her living room. Once they were back, Emma looked up from the book and noticed their dismal expressions.

“Are you guys ok?" Emma asked.

"Are you really that concerned?” asked Regina, after seeing Emma still on the couch. “Because, you’re sitting in the exact same spot that we left you in. Or was there a time warp that you got yourself stuck in?" Regina asked sarcastically. 

"Hey, I called your cell, but it was in the kitchen. If you hadn’t have come back within the next half hour, I would have gone out to look for you." Emma explained.

"Mmhm.” said Regina. Well, to answer your question– No, we’re not okay. Death turned out to be more imminent than I planned for.

Emma looked back down at the book, thinking of what she concluded from the last parts of it; and death was what she had gathered of their fate as well. “Well, at least I’m saved from telling you the bad news myself.” said Emma.

“Excuse me?” asked Regina.

“While you guys were gone, I figured I’d read more of the book, and on the last page of this book – the part you guys didn’t get to, said the following… Once the soul of an Akaidial has consumed a Shadow, the energy from that Shadow will increase the Akaidial’s energy force, making it no longer able to enter Other planets, due to its inability to be contained by the life forces created on such planets. So, from that, I gathered that the two of you won’t be able to be in your bodies anymore. And then I saw this one sentence earlier in the book that said… To Live is to See, and to Die is to See the Truth. I’m not completely sure as to what that means, but both statements seem to suggest that you guys won’t survive this– at least, not in your current form." Emma explained.

"Yeah, that’s what Regina concluded after you talked about the energy between us.” said Madison.

The three of them were quiet for a minute or two, thinking of their situation.

“We need to start thinking of getting the people in this town to safety.” said Regina. “If we’re right about the dog being attacked by this ‘Shadow-to-be’, that means that whoever it is, is starting to show its true colors. Furthermore, I think that our soul is attaching, just as this person is changing. A completely synchronized event that may be dramatic all on its own." Regina continued.

Emma sighed. "Well, in order to get the right people to safety, we need to find and separate this person from everyone else." Emma suggested. "Starting with the dog.”

“Agreed” said Madison. “But, first we need to get Henry to a safe place. We all know that he’s not the one turning into a Shadow, and considering that we don’t know exactly how much time we have left, I don’t want to risk him being easily sucked up by this thing.”

Regina looked at Madison with a heartfelt expression, and nodded in agreement. 

“All right. I’ll drive.” said Emma.

“Yeah, no. We’re on a time crunch. So, let us think outside the yellow metal box. We’re teleporting.” said Regina, before extended her hands out to the both of them. 

*****************

It was dark inside Snow’s apartment, except for the stove light that was left on for Emma. Its luminescence wasn’t too bright to disturb one’s sleep, but it was bright enough to guide one through the dark. Seconds after they teleported inside the apartment, David turned on his bedside lamp, and hopped up to see that Emma wasn’t alone.

“What’s going on?” asked David.

“We need to get you guys to safety.” Emma answered.

“Whoa! No. We need to get Henry to safety.” said Regina.

“Regina, my parents love each other. There’s true love between them. According to what we know, this person cannot love, and if it does have an ounce of love left, it’s definitely not going to be true love. It’s not one of my parents.” said Emma defensively.

“What’s not one of us?” asked David.

At this, Emma, Regina, and Madison looked at him; neither one having the patience to explain in detail. 

“Dad, we’ll explain it to you once you’re in a safe place.” said Emma.

“What about everyone else?” asked David.

“They’re next.” Emma answered. “I’ll grab Henry’s things and wake him up, while you get Mom ready.”

David nodded in agreement. “So, where are going?”

“To my vault.” answered Regina. “One of the safest places in town. Probably only second to Rumpelstiltskin’s hiding spot.”

“You think Rumpelstiltskin even needs a hiding spot?” asked David.

“For what we’re about to face–absolutely.” Regina answered.

After hearing Regina’s answer to his last question, David realized just how dire the situation was.

“Snow, wake up!” said David as he rocked Snow on the shoulders.

Seconds later, Snow woke up, looking entirely confused. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I’m not sure yet, but we need to get to Regina’s vault for our own safety. Emma will explain to us later.” David answered.

Once everyone was about ready, Regina took Henry and Madison by the hand, while they held on to Emma and Snow. Then David picked up his backpack, sword, and Snow’s bow and arrows, and reached for Snow’s hand.

“Those weapons aren’t going to help you.” said Regina.

“They’re still coming with us.” David replied.

Regina rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

Seconds later, they all went up in purple smoke.

**********************************************************************************************************************************************

As the purple smoke dissipated away, Henry looked around the dimly lit vault, and listened to the rhythmic beatings of the ripped-out hearts. “Can anyone tell me why I had to get out of my bed to come here?“ 

Hearing this question, Charming and Snow turned to Emma simultaneously, and awaited her explanation.

“That suspicion that I had about Madison being an issue?!” Emma started, after swallowing dryly. “Well, I was wrong. She’s actually half of the solution to a massively big problem.”

“And what problem is that?” asked Snow.

“A Shadow.” said Emma. “The most insidious of souls in this entire universe, and there’s about to be one here if we don’t find out who this person is before they change–and if they do change, we’ll only have one chance to stop it. If we fail, the Shadow will consume each and every last one of us–our energy, our life force, our soul. Every animal, tree, lake, you name it, will be gone, and the only things left will be the Shadow, and the darkness that surrounds it.”

Hearing these words from Emma, left Snow, Charming and Henry with bleak expressions. But, after a few seconds, Charming thought of what Emma said about Madison. “You mentioned that Madison was half of the solution. Well, what’s the other half, and how is she a part of it?“ 

Emma then looked at Madison and Regina, and then back at her parents. “The one chance that we have to beat this Shadow is if an Akaidial soul consumes its energy.”

“Okay. So, where can we find an Akaidial soul?” asked Charming. 

“Well, technically there’s one and a half standing in front of you as we speak.” answered Emma.

Snow tilted her head in confusion. “One and a half?”

“Yes. You see– Akaidial souls are the only ones that can naturally practice magic.” Emma continued. “Which means that I’m an Akaidial, Regina’s an Akaidial, and so is Madison.”

Regina looked over at Emma and snidely remarked, “Right. Because, one plus one plus one, equals one and a half. Are you deliberately trying to confuse them?”

Emma sighed as Regina finished Emma’s explanation. “We Akaidials can only reside on Earth if our soul is split in half. Why?! Because our soul is too strong for one body. Therefore, we have to take up two bodies instead of one. Madison is my other half, and in order to defeat a Shadow, our two halves need to be one. Since no other Akaidial was sent here with their other half, it means that Madison and I are the only ones that can consume this Shadow’s energy.” Regina paused and took a breath. “And to answer your question, Henry– having you in this vault will keep you out of harm’s way, if and when we have to fight this thing.”

“So, that’s why you and Madison fell for each other so quickly. You guys are one soul! Wow! How romantic!” said Snow.

“Really?! Out of all that I just said, ‘romance’ is what stuck out for you?!” Regina said sarcastically.

Snow shrugged her shoulders. “Sorry.”

Regina then rolled her eyes, and noticed Henry looking down at the ground. “Henry, are you ok?” she asked.

Henry then looked up, with a troublesome expression. “There has always been something or someone to fight. Some beast, curse, or evil sorcerer– and we’ve been able to conquer all of them, and with each fight, you have never been afraid. But, with this Shadow– Mom, I can tell that you’re scared. And if you’re scared, then I’m scared.”

Regina’s heart sank after hearing how Henry felt. Then she walked over to him, and leaned down at eye level. “You’re right, Henry. I am afraid. But, I’m not afraid of the Shadow– I’m afraid of never seeing you again.”

“But, you and Madison can beat this thing, and you will. I believe in you. You just need to believe in yourself.” said Henry.

“It’s not that, Henry.” said Regina. “If Madison and I fight this Shadow, I have no doubt that we will win. But, if we do have to consume the Shadows energy, our soul will become too strong to stay in our current bodies.”

“So, make your bodies stronger!” said Henry.

“It doesn’t work like that.” said Regina.

Not knowing what else to say, Henry hugged Regina tightly. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“I don’t want to lose you either.” said Regina.

Seeing this, Charming walked over to Emma and Madison, and quietly asked, “How do you guys plan on finding this person before they change?”

Emma sighed. “So far, we may have one lead.” Emma answered. 

“Yeah, what’s that?” asked Charming.

“A German Sheppard.” said Madison.

Charming’s head dropped a little. “That dog that you guys–”.

“Yes.” Madison said quickly, before Charming could finish his question. “We think that whoever did it, may be the one changing.”

“Well, what are you guys going to do if you find this person before they change?” asked Charming.

Madison then looked over at Regina, while she was still holding Henry. “Whatever is necessary.”

Hearing the tone in Madison’s answer, Charming took the hint, and even though he didn’t like the idea of killing someone, he knew that death was sometimes the best solution.

Once the hug between Henry and Regina ended, she wiped the tears from around his cheeks, and kissed his forehead. “Well, at least while you’re down here you’ll be comfortable.” said Regina, before magically moving the back wall inward, and revealing a pristine black and white studio. “This is where you’ll be staying. There’s an endless amount of food and supplies.”

“How long do you think we’ll need to be down here?” asked Charming.

“I’m not really sure.” said Emma. "But, in the meantime, if there is a battle between them and the Shadow, you’ll be sheltered from it.”

“And what about you?” asked Charming. “You can’t fight this thing either.”

“No, but I’ll have a better chance then you of getting away.” said Emma, before turning towards Henry, and motioning for him to come to her.

Seeing this, Henry quickly walked towards her. “Me and your mom are going to be fine.” said Emma. “We are going to find this person before they change. You know why that is, right?!”

Henry shook his head and answered, “Because you find people.”

“That’s right, kid.” said Emma, before giving him a big hug. “Now, go get yourself settled.”

After Henry walked into the studio, Snow walked up to Emma and crossed her arms. “You know you really are asking a lot, by asking us to stay down here. Especially, while you’re up there facing something more dangerous than Charming and I have ever faced.”

“I know.” said Emma. But, right now you guys will be more of a detriment on my ability to concentrate if I know that you’re out and about and anywhere close to this thing.“ Then Emma pulled out two walkie talkies and handed one to Snow. "I’ll have my cell phone with me, so I’ll keep you guys updated. But, if I so happen to lose signal, I’ll use the walkie talkie.”

Snow heavily sighed. “Okay.” Then she walked over and gave Emma a hug. “You be careful.”

“I will.” said Emma.

Then Charming walked over and hugged her as well. After a few seconds had passed, Snow and Charming were still holding on. “All right you guys. You gotta let me go.” said Emma. Soon afterwards, they slowly let her go.

“Now, you call us, each hour, on the hour.” said Charming. “If not, I’m coming to find you.”

“Ok, fair enough.” said Emma.

Once Henry, Snow, and Charming were safely behind the wall, Regina looked over at Emma and said, “Well, you seem rather confident about finding this person before they change.” said Regina.

“One of us has to be.” said Emma.

“Well, that makes two of us.” said Madison. “If this person is in town, we’d know if it’s changed. And even if it has changed and it’s not in town, it would’ve been all over the news by now. Which means that we still have a chance to avoid facing a Shadow, and I honestly believe that this dog will lead us to it on time.”

Regina sighed. “Very well. The two of you take my hand.”

After Emma and Madison locked hands with Regina, Regina looked over at Emma and said, “If I don’t make it back from this–”

“You will.” said Emma; cutting Regina off and staring directly into her eyes.

Seconds later, they were surrounded by purple smoke, as the walls of the vault began to curve, and the swirling stars in the night’s sky, quickly replaced the gray of the ceiling. In less than a second, they were in the woods again, with the dog lying stiffly in front of them. A moment later, Regina magically lit up about fifty feet of the area, revealing the dog and the surrounding forest. Once Emma looked down and saw the dog, sadness overcame her, and she stood in silence for a few seconds. 

“Well are you just going to stand there, or are you going to investigate?” asked Regina.

Emma sighed. "Well, from what I can tell so far– this was definitely done by a psychopath.“

"Well, no kidding, ‘O’ Wise One’!” said Regina.

Emma ignored Regina’s comment and began to walk slowly around the dog; looking for anything that stuck out besides the piece of black cloth on its leg. When she reached the area where its tail once was, she noticed a few drops of blood about a foot away from the puddle of blood around its buttocks. Finding this curious, she then looked for more drops and found a couple of more that lined up as a trail. But, the further the trail went, the smaller the drops became, and after following the drops for a couple of feet, the trail stopped in front of a bush. Being cautious, Emma slowly approached the bush, and found the tail, dangling lifelessly in the middle of it. “Well– I found the tail! It looks as if it was tossed aside– like trash. Like a piece amongst the other pieces that were taken off for some particular purpose, and discarded. The only thing that’s really missing so far is its eyes. Talk about weird." Then Emma looked down to check out the dog’s collar. "Well, at least we have a phone number for the owner.”

“What if it was the owner that did it?” asked Madison.

“I would hope not.” said Emma. “But, people have been known to kill their own family." Then she untied the black cloth. "If this belonged to the person who did this, their scent may lead us right to them.” Then she handed the cloth to Madison. “Here, see if you can pick up a scent.”

Madison took the cloth, and took in a big whiff. Then after a few seconds of sniffing around, she caught a faint scent.

“They went this way.” said Madison, as she stared in the direction of the scent.

“Nice.” said Regina.

“All right, let me save the owner’s number in my phone real quick.” said Emma. Five seconds later. “Got it.”

After the three of them followed the scent for about ten minutes, they came up to a light blue house, with a homemade swing, hanging from the limb of a big tree on the front yard.

“This is where it stops.” said Madison.

“Great.” Regina said sarcastically. “With that swing, I can only assume that there’s a kid in there. If the Murglem is in there, and it knows that we’re on to them, they might hurt the kid.”

“Well, what time is it?” asked Madison.

Regina looked down at her watch. “It’s four.”

“Then, I say we wait.” said Madison. “It’s Monday morning, and school starts at 7:30. So, they should be up within the next hour or so. Once the kid leaves, we can go question the parents.

"And what if they drive the kid to school?” asked Regina.

“Then we’ll come up with a plan B.” answered Madison as she smiled at Regina.

“All right, then. Sounds good.” Emma agreed. “Now, all we need is a place for a stakeout.”

Hearing this, Regina poofed up a gray Dodge Charger, that was parked down the opposite side street. “There. Now, we’re all set to play cops and robbers. I’ve even got some coffee and doughnuts in there.”

Both Emma and Madison smiled, as the three of them walked towards the brand new Charger.

************************

It was 7 a.m., when Samantha walked down the steps from the front door of her home. Her sister wasn’t far behind, as they walked towards the white picket fence, with vines that had been growing around it for years. Once they were pass the fence, Samantha walked across the street and onto the sidewalk that led straight to her middle school. Her sister, on the other hand, turned right, after passing the fence, and headed to her high school.

“Wait, I’ve seen those kids before.” said Regina. “The smaller one tried to sell me candy. Samantha? I think her name is. The other one is her older sister.”

“Well, that’s awkward.” said Emma. “Hmm… well, since the kids are out and about– you’re on Madison.”

“Ok.” said Madison, knowing that her task was to sniff out which parent the scent belonged to. 

But, shortly after Madison got out of the car and headed for the house, she stopped abruptly in the middle of the street, right between the house and the sidewalk, where Samantha had crossed the road earlier. She then slowly turned to the left, and watched as Samantha walked steadily down the sidewalk. In that instance, the world around Madison began to slow, as her stomach turned, and her heart sank.

“Why did she stop?” asked Emma.

Regina looked at Madison for a few seconds, and started to feel exactly what Madison felt.

“It’s the little girl.” answered Regina. 

Chapter 6 to be continued...


	6. Coming to Terms

Emma’s facial expression slowly dropped before turning towards Regina. “Are you serious?”

“Unfortunately.” Regina answered.

Emma sighed heavily, and slowly rolled her eyes closed. “This is so messed up.”

“I know." Regina agreed. "We just need to keep in mind that this kid, is a lot more dangerous than she looks, and regardless of what human form she’s in, if she’s the one to change, then we’ll have to do what we need to do.”

“You mean kill her.” Emma said grimly.

“Yes, kill her!” said Regina. “As hard as it may be to look pass the surface, we’re going to need to. Especially, after she exhibited another sign of transformation just a few seconds ago.”

“Another sign?” asked Emma. “What could you have possibly gotten from seeing her walk across the street? And what the hell was the first sign?" 

Regina looked at Emma in disbelief of her short-sighted observations. "Emma, sometimes I really question your qualifications as a Sheriff.”

“Excuse me?” said Emma.

“Think about it!” Regina continued. “Just hours ago she mutilated and killed someone’s pet, and now she’s prancing back to school as if she’s as innocent as pie. That alone tells us that she’s feeling absolutely no remorse for what she did. And then there’s the fact that she left the dog out in the open for anyone to find, along with a piece of cloth that could lead straight to her. That crime scene was sloppy as hell. It’s as if she could care less if she got caught.”

After quickly digesting Regina’s words, Emma looked down at the steering wheel in front of her, and thought of the book. “No remorse equals no pain, and the absence of caution– equals no fear.”

“Yes, and the only thing that seems to be left now is ‘desire’.” said Regina.

Seconds later, Madison opened the back door, hopped in and rested her head on the back seat. Feeling Madison’s frustration, Regina looked back at Madison, as Emma looked at Madison through the rear view mirror, and then over at Regina; sensing a communication between the two in which she was not a part of.

“The bond between you two has gotten even stronger.” said Emma. “If you’re right about this simultaneous event, then it might be happening within the next few hours– a day at most.”

Hearing this, Regina quietly glanced at Emma for a moment, and then turned to look through the windshield in front of her. She knew they were running out of time, and she knew that deep down she didn’t have it in her to kill Samantha without being absolutely positive of what she may become. “We still need to make sure that she exhibits the third sign. Regardless, of what little time we have.”

“Are you sure about that?” asked Emma. “'Cause there’s a chance that she’ll turn the moment she loses whatever desire that she has left. And if that happens, yo–” Emma was abruptly cut off.

“Yes, I’m sure!” said Regina, as she turned to look at Emma. “We may have concrete proof that she’s a psychopath, but we don’t have enough proof to decide whether or not she’s going to change. We have to be sure, Emma– I am not leaving this Earth being known as a ruthless killer again. Especially, not a child killer." Regina paused for a moment, before turning to look back through the windshield. "So, I say we just watch her until she gets out of school. If nothing happens before then, we approach her on her way back home, and ask a few questions. If I conclude that she’s the one– I’ll try to make it quick.”

Madison looked at Regina, feeling slightly frustrated with Regina’s emotional suppression. “Regina, you know as well as I do, that we’re not going to be sure until she turns. If there’s a time that we need to be straight with ourselves, it would be now.”

Regina instantly rolled her neck back at Madison, and gave her a stern and uncompromising stare; a stare that most would fear from the former Evil Queen. But, considering that Madison was Regina’s equal, Madison was unwavered by her expression, and gave her a look that made Regina know that she was refusing to back down.

Seconds later, feeling slightly defeated, Regina turned back to face the front again. “She’s right, Emma. I can’t be sure until she actually changes." 

"Great.” said Emma, unenthusiastically. “So, what’s the new plan?”

Regina contemplated for a moment, thinking again of the inevitable outcome (that she once had little hope of avoiding), and of what needed to be done to save her son and everyone else on Earth. “We’re still going to watch her.” answered Regina. “She’s our biggest and only lead. If she turns, we’ll be right where we need to be, and less people will be killed– if any at all.”

“And if she’s not the Shadow?” asked Emma.

“Then, you make sure that she gets put away, after Madison and I fight this thing– wherever the hell it pops up.”

Emma sighed, was silent for a few seconds, and began to wonder how all of this was going to go down. “So, how exactly do we plan on watching her? We can only see so much from hanging out in the car, and we can’t just hang out in the classrooms without attracting a bunch of attention.”

“Yes, I thought about that.” said Regina. “So, I’ve decided to go in as a new kid.”

Emma was surprised and delighted by this idea, and shook her head in agreement. “Good idea! So, how do you want to communicate?”

Regina lifted her balled up left hand, in response, and opened it. “With these wireless surveillance earpieces. You can use it to communicate through the radio system that’s installed in the car.”

“What radio system?” asked Emma.

“This one.” said Regina, pointing to the dash of the car, and magically making one appear, just as she did with the earpieces.

“Nice.” said Emma.

“Plus, I’ll be using this throat-mic as a microphone around my neck.” said Regina. “Even with a soft whisper you’ll be able to hear me.”

Seconds later, Regina transformed herself into a twelve year-old girl, wearing a plaided below-the-knee, dark gray and royal blue skirt, a solid dark gray turtle neck, shiny black oxford shoes with low-rise dark gray socks, a royal blue headband, and black diamond earrings.

“How do I look?” asked Regina.

“Adorable.” said Madison.

“Like a goody two-shoe.” said Emma, smiling sarcastically.

Regina gave Emma a mean look, but as a kid it just looked like a cute pout. 

Emma smiled at Regina’s expression. “You’ve definitely got the cute kid thing down though.”

“Whatever.” Regina said with a cynical tone.

“Well, now all you need is a backpack and a brown bag.” said Madison, as she smiled at a sight that she never thought she’d see.

After Regina poofed up a black leather backpack and an insulated gray lunch bag, she looked over at Emma, with a disquieting expression, knowing full well that this may be the last time that she’d ever speak to her again, in person “Once the Shadow is here, you make it back to Henry. As much as you may want to, Emma, do not try to help us. He’s already lost his father, and he’s going to lose me. Don’t make him lose the both of us.”

Emma looked at Regina, feeling saddened by the fact that Regina’s fate already seemed sealed. Then she turned to the steering wheel, and turned the car on without answering.

“Emma?” asked Regina

Emma paused for a second, nodded her head, reluctantly in agreement, and shifted the car into drive.

**************************

As Emma drove up to the school’s drop off area, Madison and Regina anxiously looked around to see if they could spot Samantha hanging around before the beginning of class. But, unfortunately, after scanning thoroughly amongst the small crowd, she was nowhere to be seen. 

“Great, now I’ll have to play the lost new kid, until I find which classroom she’s in.” said Regina.

Soon after she said that, the five minute warning bell sounded, and the children began to migrate towards their first class. 

“Good luck!” said Emma.

“Yeah. Just remember that you need to stay as close as possible.” said Regina. “We can’t have Madison pop up in the middle of a class.”

“Right.” said Emma. “Before you go too far though, we’ll need to check the communication.”

“Ok.” said Regina.

After Regina hopped out of the car, Emma waited for a few seconds until Regina was a few feet away.

“Testing, testing, one, two, three.” said Emma, after pressing the PTT button.

_“We’re good.”_ Regina responded, through her throat-mic. 

“10-4!” said Emma, before driving off and parking the car at the coffee shop across from the school.

After Madison crawled up to the passenger seat, they both sat there for a few minutes; occupied by their own troubling thoughts, and waiting for Regina to chime back in once she found Samantha.

“You know what I don’t get?” Emma asked.

“What’s that?” asked Madison.

"The 'desire’ aspect.” said Emma. “I mean, if they lose their desire as a Murglem, how can they 'desire’ to create more darkness, and more negativity?“

"I don’t know.” answered Madison. “But, if I had to guess, I’d say that it means that they only lose their desire for this kind of life, and for anything that revolves around what makes it worth living.”

“Hmm—“ Emma hummed. “So, what could she possibly lose desire for as a kid?”

Madison thought back, and thought of the candy bars. “Well, she was trying to sell Regina chocolate bars a couple of days ago, and usually when kids do that there’s some sort of personal gain. Money for a trip, prize, or something of that sort.”

“Right.” said Emma. “Hey, Regina?”

_“Yeah.”_ Regina responded. 

“When Samantha came to you to sell those chocolate bars, did she tell you what they were for?” Emma asked.

_“Yeah.”_ Regina answered. _“She was raising money for her math club.”_

“Did she say anything else about it? Like if she’d win anything?” asked Emma.

_“No. But, I see what you’re getting at.”_ Regina responded. _“If her only desire revolves around that fundraiser, then it’s definitely a short-lived one.”_

“Yep.” said Emma.

_“Speak of the Devil.”_ said Regina, after landing eyes on Samantha, sitting at a desk beside the windows. 

“You found her?” Emma asked.

_“Yes.”_ Regina answered. 

"Copy that.” said Emma. Then she looked over at Madison, and raised her right eyebrow. “Now we wait.”

Chapter 7 to be continued...


	7. Suìrravin

As Regina walked into the classroom and searched for an unoccupied seat, the students looked at her curiously, and wondered who she was. The whispers from each of them grew louder and louder, until Mrs. Hannigan, a longtime English teacher in her early 60s, looked up to figure out what the fuss was about.

“Young lady?” asked Mrs. Hannigan, directing her voice towards Regina.

“Yes?” Regina replied, after slowly turning around.

“What is your name, and why are you in my classroom?” the woman asked with an impatient tone.

Realizing that she hadn’t thought of an undercover name, let alone magically put one on a roster, Regina started with why she was there, until she could think of a decent name. “Well, I’m a new student, and this is the class that I’m supposed to be in at the moment.” She then quickly glanced down at the woman’s desk and noticed an attendance book with pen markings in it. Seeing this, she vaguely remembered a woman in one her council meetings complaining about the prevalent use of the internet, and how people shouldn’t rely on computers for record keeping. Regina was sure that it was this same woman, and decided to deflect her question with a snide comment. “If you’d have checked your faculty email more often, you would have noticed the update to your class roster.”

The woman pursed her lips in response, knowing that she abhorred technology and that she hadn’t checked her email in three days. She was also irritated by the fact that Regina knew anything about the faculty’s communication through email. For her, this was definitely an issue to be brought to the principal’s attention as soon as possible. “Your name!” she demanded.

Sensing that Regina needed a boost of imagination, Madison quickly chimed in after thinking of her childhood friend; the only human friend that she had until the child’s parents found out that she was a wolf. “Corinne.”

“My name is Corinne.” Regina answered quickly, after hearing Madison’s response.

“Corinne what?” the woman asked, sounding even more impatient.

Then Regina thought of the only show that she ever enjoyed. “Scully.”

“Well, Ms. Scully.” the woman continued with a grating tone. “Take a seat. You’ve wasted enough precious minutes of our class time.”

Regina winced slightly at the woman’s unnecessary attitude, contained her own venomous words for the sake of her cover, turned back around, and sat at the closest available desk.

After about ten minutes or so of listening to Mrs. Hannigan drone on about using verbs in the subjunctive and interrogative moods, Regina glanced over at Samantha, and noticed how highly attentive she was, or at least seemed.

“Now, who can tell me what mood this particular question is in?” asked Mrs. Hannigan as she used her ruler to guide the student’s eyes to the board.

But, the only hand to go up in the entire classroom was Samantha’s, as everyone else looked just as unenthused as Regina and remained idle.

“Samantha, I already know that you know the answer, as you are my star pupil.” said the woman, with her rare, but genuine smile.

Regina sensed the favoritism instantly, and rolled her eyes.

“But, let’s see if the new student is up to par, or if she’ll have to be referred to a remediation course.” she continued as she turned to look at Regina. “Ms. Scully, please tell us what mood this question is in.”

Regina sighed, and silently read the question on the board. “The question is obviously in the subjunctive mood, as the word ‘wish’ is the key term– just like the key terms in the following example.” Regina couldn’t contain herself.

“Which following example?” asked Mrs. Hannigan, seeing no other example on the board.

“The one that I’m about to make up.” Regina answered.

“I see.” said the woman as she raised her hand to her hip, and awaited Regina’s next words.

“I suggest, that you stop trying to call me out, and I recommend that you move on to a more interesting subject.” said Regina.

Despite the irritation caused by Regina’s audacity, Mrs. Hannigan was impressed with her example. “Ahh yes. Expressing suggestions while using the subjunctive mood. Good job, Ms. Scully. But, in the future– watch your tone.” she finished with a steely expression. “Class, turn to page fifty-four. We’re now going to talk about conditional and imperative moods.”

Regina let out a heavy sigh, and turned the page.

***************************

Once the class was over, Regina packed up her things, and watched as Samantha crossed the room and headed for the door. Soon afterwards, she hopped up from her desk and began to follow behind Samantha at a reasonably inconspicuous distance down the hall. 

“Well that was an interesting start.” said Emma.

“Yeah, I know. I brought more attention to myself than I planned for. At least, I have a name now. Thanks, Madison.”

“No problem.” Madison responded.

“All right, she’s going into another class.” said Regina. “I’m going to introduce myself to the teacher this time. Hopefully, that’ll help things go more smoothly.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” said Emma.

The next class that Regina entered was a History class, and although the teacher, Mr. Dumpty, was a very nice man, his class was even less intriguing than Mrs. Hannigan’s. But, of course, Samantha looked just as attentive as before, just as she did later on that day for her Math class. The only course so far that she didn’t seem so interested in was Physical Education. For her, this course was a pointless nuisance, full of unnecessary sweating, and the kicking, hitting, or throwing of a ball back and forth, with the only purpose of getting it to the other side and making a point. But, with such disinterest in this particular class, she decided that it would be the perfect time to introduce herself to Regina; a girl that has intrigued her since the first class of the day. So, while Regina awaited her turn to hit the ball, Samantha approached her from the side. 

“Corinne, right?” asked Samantha.

“Yes, and yours is Samantha?” asked Regina.

“Yep!” Samantha responded as she smiled, looking Regina up and down. “You know, you’re pretty smart from what I could tell in Mrs. Hannigan’s class.

Regina smiled. “Thanks!”

“You were also impressive in Math class.“ Samantha continued. “You even had me questioning myself.” Then she paused for a second. “Who do you have for Science?”

Regina hesitated, knowing that she hadn’t the first clue. “I’m not sure, actually. I’ll have to check my schedule again.”

“Mmhm.“ Samantha nodded and smiled. “Well– from the way the day has been going, you’re probably in the same Science class as I am.” Then, as she bent down to tie her shoe, she looked up at Regina, and decided to make a joke. “If you were an idiot, I’d say you’ve been following me.”

Regina smiled in return.

“Corinne! You’re up!” said Mr. Feagle, a very heavy set and stocky P.E. Teacher, who would have rather been a baseball star.

“Ok!” said Regina as she walked up to the plate.

“You think she’s on to us?” asked Emma.

“No. All of the classes have been for advanced students, so she was making a joke. It was ironic though.” Regina answered.

During the lunch period, Samantha sat by herself, without disturbance, and read a book as she enjoyed her peanut butter and jelly sandwich, oatmeal cookie, and apple juice. Once her break period was over, Art was the next course to go to. During this class, each student was given a painting assignment to paint the first thing that came to their minds, and the first thing that popped into Regina’s mind was Henry and their home. But, since Regina’s artistic skills were sub-par, she only managed to whip up some stick figures and an outline of a house. Samantha, on the other hand, who was sitting right next to her, created a painting that was highly impressive… yet very disturbing. In her painting was a dark blue tree with black leaves, black grass, grey skies, and black rain. Staring at the picture, Regina half expected for her to paint the dead dog as well. But she didn’t. 

“What does your painting mean?“ Regina asked Samantha.

Samantha sighed. "Well, the tree is me. I chose dark blue, because it’s close to the color black. The black represents nothingness.”

“Nothingness?” asked Regina.

“Yeah. It’s how I feel sometimes.” Samantha answered. “Most of it stems from disappointments. It’s like all the things that I really, really want, always find a way to slip through my fingers.”

“Like what?” asked Regina.

“Well, the latest disappointment was when my parents got me a bike instead of a pair of roller blades. I begged for a whole six months, eleven days, and three hours. I even did extra chores. But, noooo. I get a bike. Before that, I specifically asked my parents for a new Samsung Galaxy 6 Edge, and do you know what they got me?! An iPhone 4.” 

"I see.” said Regina, thinking that Samantha’s woes were quite trivial. But, considering that she was a psychopath, the over-exaggeration was to be expected.

******************************

The last class to go to now was Science.

“How are you feeling so far?” asked Emma.

“Like I should have had more coffee.” Regina answered. “I can’t believe this is how I’m going to spend my last hours on earth.”

“Hey, it was your plan.” said Emma, smiling as she sipped on her own cup of coffee.

“Thanks, for reminding me.” said Regina while following Samantha down the hall. 

“Sam!!” a boy called out from behind Regina. “Sam!”

Regina quickly turned around to get a look at the boy and saw that he had on a white, long-sleeve collar shirt, underneath a blue sweater vest, and grey pants. After moving to the side and up against the wall, she pretended to look for something inside of her backpack, so that she could listen in on their conversation as much as possible.

“A boy just approached her, and they stopped in the middle of the hall.” said Regina.

“What are they doing?” asked Emma.

“Talking.” Regina answered.

“Well, can you get any closer? We can’t hear them?” Emma asked.

“No. But, I can hear them just fine.” said Regina, before continuing to listen for several seconds. “He’s teasing her about the candy bar competition. She sounds irritated, but confident.”

A few moments later, the boy went on his way, as Samantha continued on to her science class. 

“All right, he left her alone. Last class, here we go.” said Regina. 

Once Regina entered the classroom, she looked around and spotted an empty seat directly behind Samantha. But, before she went any further, she introduced herself to the teacher, Mrs. Elsie; a woman who placed an excessive amount of thought into everything that she did and into everything around her. Once Mrs. Elsie took note of Regina’s presence, she directed Regina to the available seat that Regina had spotted earlier.

“Hello, again!” said Samantha. “The same Science class, just as I predicted.”

“Yeah!” Regina smiled, as she walked to her seat; a seat that turned out to be the best seat that she’d had all day, as she was able to hear everything that Samantha discussed with another young girl, named Jackie; the discussion about the science project that was mentioned earlier, as it revealed why the dog’s eyes were missing from its corpse. 

‘You have got to be kidding me.’ Regina thought to herself.

“She went through the body parts, to try and figure out which part she wanted to use for a science project?!” said Emma. “That’s some cold shit.”

Madison sat in silence, disheartened even more by what she had overheard.

***********************************

After the school day was over, Regina walked back to the pick-up area, while Samantha headed towards the sidewalk that led back to her house. Once Regina hopped in the car, and placed her backpack on the car floor, she instantly turned back to her adult self.

“Whew! Good to be back to my full self again.” said Regina, feeling relieved.

“I bet.” said Emma. “You sounded like you were struggling to hold your tongue in there– several times.”

Regina eye-balled Emma silently.

“What?!” asked Emma.

“Just– follow Samantha, will you?!”

“Okay.” said Emma.

Once they were able to finally pull out of the school pick-up area, Emma caught up with Samantha, and slowly drove by her as she walked alongside the fence where the dog used to reside.

“Did you guys see that?” Emma asked excitedly. “She totally just smiled while looking through that fence. 

"Yeah, I saw it.” Regina answered.

“I bet that’s where the dog used to live." Emma continued. "I saw a water bowl too. What a little brat!”

Regina sighed. “Pull into the driveway where that house is for sale. We can watch her from there.”

Seconds later, Emma back parked into the driveway, two houses down from Samantha’s, and turned the car off.

“She’s got herself a phone call.” said Madison, after seeing Samantha grab the phone out of her backpack and put it to her ear. 

“Hey, Sam…” said the voice on the other end.

“Hey, Jane. What’s up?.” Sam asked.

“Umm… Did you read your email yet?” Jane asked hesitantly.

“No, why?” asked Sam.

“Well… the grand prize, the TI-84 Plus calculator, just got knocked down to a fifty dollar Granny’s Diner gift card, two movie passes, and… a standard function calculator. They felt that the other calculator would be too much of an advantage and a crutch in the long run.”

“What?!!” yelled Samantha.

“Yeah, it’s total crap.” Jane continued.

What?!?!“ Samantha yelled even louder, before tossing her phone to the ground. The one thing that she looked forward to anymore was that calculator. As silly as it may have been, it was her only desire left that hadn’t led to another disappointment. But, now that it had, everything else just instantly became trivial; her family, her friends, and even her top academic status. There was nothing else to look forward to, accept for the endless cycle of daily repetitions, and that thought alone… made her want to end it all. 

After a moment of standing there in anger, Samantha closed her eyes, and let out a terrible scream that could be heard from down the street. Dogs from afar had heard the scream, and began to bark wildly to warn their owners. The four-legged creatures, who were free in the woods, fled as fast as they could after sensing a high degree of danger. 

Then, after opening her eyes again, Samantha felt a sharp pain around her hands. When she looked down to see what was happening, she noticed that they were disintegrating away, as if they had been dipped in an invisible acid. As her hands became no more, a shadowy darkness took their place; a darkness so thick that she could not see through it. As she stood there in confusion, screaming from the last bit of pain that she would ever feel again, it continued to spread up her arms; destroying whatever living parts that she had left.

"Are you guys seeing what I’m seeing?” asked Emma, with her back turned towards Madison and Regina. “She’s disappearing! Gu–” Emma said as she looked behind her to see why neither one was responding. But, to her surprise, they weren’t in the car anymore. They were just outside of it… merging together… in a swirl of blue and black smoke. Emma hopped out of the car swiftly and walked towards the smokey swirl where she could hear the sounds of Madison’s growls, and her whimper right before the swirl turned into a huge flame. Feeling the heat, Emma quickly backed up and turned to take a look at Samantha. But, the only thing that she saw left of her was her head. 

“Oh my god!” said Emma, before looking back at Regina and Madison. But, this time, instead of a ball of red and orange flames, the flames had turned into a bright, slightly bluish tint, before disappearing completely. “What the hell!”

“Aagghh!!” Emma turned to notice a man by his mailbox screaming. The man continued to scream while his body twisted and turned as if something was pulling at him. Seconds later, the man fell to the ground, motionless, and with his eyes left wide open.

Screeechhh!!! BANG!!!

The next thing Emma saw was a car that had run head-on into a concrete light pole. Inside the car, was a woman who jerked sharply back and forth, with only the seat belt to hold her down. She continued with a blood curdling scream, until her body went limp, and her head hit the window. 

Emma was terrified. She couldn’t see what was attacking these people, and she had no idea where Regina and Madison had gone. But, before she could think of anything to do, she began to feel a strong pull at her chest; a pull so severe that it felt as if her ribs were being cracked open, and her insides were being ripped out. But, despite the excruciating pain, she used whatever magic that she had inside of her to break free. Her yellow stream of magic glowed as bright and strong as it ever had, but faded away swiftly, as it was to no avail. “Regina!!” she cried out, feeling seconds away from defeat. Suddenly, what seemed out of nowhere, the pull stopped and she fell to the ground. 

Breathing heavily, Emma looked up to see what had happened, and still she saw no one. But, regardless of what her eyes failed to see, she felt a strong sense of Regina and Madison’s presence before her, and it was then that she realized that all three of them had transformed. 

“Good luck, you guys.” Emma said as she looked into the open air. Then she hopped in the car, quickly headed back to Henry as promised, and made some phone calls on her cell to warn the emergency crews to not respond to any 911 calls in that area, and to spread the word to the public that that area is not safe.

Five minutes earlier….

Regina and Madison sat in the car as they watched Samantha have a fit over the phone. Once the phone was thrown to the ground, Madison’s eyes turned into a golden glow as she felt the strongest pull that she’s ever felt with Regina; a pull that was very tormenting, as her death was required in order to merge with her other half. The flames that suddenly developed around her were intense, as the heat quickly turned into a torturous pain. Instinctively, she morphed into her wolf-self, but still she could not escape, as the flames wiped away her beautiful fur. Seconds later, the pain was over.

Regina’s experience of this merge was only slightly different, as the pull was just as strong, and the pain was just as excruciating. But, surprisingly, the flames were developed by her own hands. Unintentionally, of course, and ironic considering that the power of fire was her strongest go-to for quick defenses. As she helplessly watched the flames flow out of her hands, the pain began, and ended, just as soon as it did with Madison.

Once they were finally released from their bodies, the memories of their life in Akaidial began to flood back to them. It was then, that they remembered their real name, Suírravin, and that they are from the Hyushava Akaidial planet. They also remembered Morźa (Emma and the other half of her soul), who wished them well before they left. But, the most important thing that they remembered was the sacrifice of their own soul. It wasn’t enough to just be the more powerful soul, energy wise… the soul also had to have the ability to balance both the light and the dark, without the risk of becoming a Shadow themselves; an ability that only Akaidials have. But, the Akaidial that takes on such a task, will have to deal with the added darkness inside; a darkness that would take its toll even on the lightest of souls. Only after a great time has passed, will the darkness inside turn into light, thereby creating not only a stronger soul, but a stronger soul of light. But, until such time, their soul would be placed in the realm of Felisti. A place full of light, peace, and feelings of love… but secluded from any other soul.

After this memory had passed, Madison and Regina looked at each other, braced themselves for what was to come, and merged together. As one… they were now Suìrravin.

Immediately afterwards, Suírravin heard Emma’s cry for help. Seeing that the Shadow had its grasp on Emma’s soul, her light grew even brighter as she began to suck in the Shadow’s energy, through every inch of her soul. Feeling the pull, that initiated around Emma, the beast lost its grasp, and began to spread itself thin. As it spread itself and resisted with all its might, it searched for more souls to give it strength. But, luckily, Emma had already warned people to stay away, and most people who lived in the neighborhood were either at work or still at school. So, the Shadow began to consume the surrounding insects. But, of course, this act of desperation was not enough, and within seconds, Suírravin had steadily consumed the Shadow with ease, until there was a Shadow no more.

Outside, and alone, Suìrravin felt heavy inside, and full of anger. She was angry about her decision, angry with having to leave her son, angry with the planet, and just… angry. But, despite all of the focused and unfocused anger, she could still feel the love that she had for Henry, and instantly made herself by his side.

In the vault she could see the worry on all of their faces, and the sadness in Emma’s eyes. Then, after a few seconds of her being there, Emma felt her presence again.

“Regina?” Emma called out.

“Mom?” Henry called out, feeling her presence as well.

Seeing and hearing nothing, Emma decided to ask anyway. “It’s over isn’t it? I’m so sorry, Regina.”

After listening to Emma, Suìrravin looked back at her son, and even though she could not touch him as she had wished, she reached over towards his cheek, and said how much she loved him, and although he could not see or hear her, he felt her on his cheek, while tears streamed down his eyes. “I love you too, Mom.” he said quietly.

Then after taking one last look at her son, Snow, Charming, and Emma, she instantly made herself back to the Akaidial council hall, Zelic. There, the leaders of the Akaidial planets, and the strongest of them all, surrounded her in a circle; some had smiles on their faces, while others looked at her grimly, knowing what lied before her. Seeing how everyone there took the form of an Other planet being, she decided to take the form of Regina. Seconds later, an opening in front of her was made, and Larut, King of the Hyushava Akaidial planet, walked towards her, and spoke with an Akaidial tongue. “KGxoA jmv, Zhprmey. Fihe wiy kgx." ("Welcome back, Suírravin. You’ve done well.”). She stood there, feeling the anger of her sacrifice surface again. Here they all were, in the safety of their planets, while she risked her own soul, and suffered through whatever pain that life decided to throw her way, and all she got was a “you’ve done well”?! 

The King could sense the darkness brewing, and knew that it was time to escort her to Felisti. Then, within a split second, a portal to Felisti was opened behind her, while three guardian Akaidials walked her towards it. As she looked through it, with anger in her eyes, and a tear falling down her cheek, the King put his hand on her shoulder, and said to her softly, “Jgfc fi hytr Qvxozo, P jgxpe pt kihx jg dgxuqhx qir fi ti vyik, tumt fi kpx zgg nir ziy mcmoy. Dg pz cq tdg Rgxzuym Mwmwpmx uxmyvtz" ("Before you enter Felisti, I believe it would be helpful for you to know, that you will see your son again. He is of the Relushna Akaidial planets.”) At this, Suírravin closed her eyes, smiled, and stepped into Felisti.

 

The End


End file.
